The Valencian Association of Farmers (AVA-ASAJA) has reported that South Africa has added in the months of September and October another eight positive cases of black spot (Phyllosticta citricarpa) in its shipments of citrus to the European Union, which places at 27 the interceptions of this disease, which is still absent in Europe, recorded since the beginning of the year.
The farming organization emphasizes that, "after two months of an information blackout right at the start of the citrus campaign," the European Union (EU) platform TRACES has once again updated interception data of pests and diseases in imports from third countries.
In addition to the new cases of black spot, South Africa has recorded a detection of false codling moth (Thaumatotibia leucotreta) in Fortunella, a genus of fruit trees in the family of the Rutaceae, whose varieties are popularly known as dwarf orange, Chinese orange, cherry orange, or kumquat.
The president of AVA-ASAJA, Cristóbal Aguado, has harshly criticized the Community stance and has assured that "Brussels hypocrisy continues. Although with the new legislature of the Commission and the European Parliament a different speech was given, with promises of greater support for the countryside, two years later there have been no real changes. Things have not improved but are worse. The phytosanitary risk continues to be intolerable and unsustainable. With its passivity and even its complicity with South Africa, Brussels puts our phytosanitary security at risk".
Given this situation, AVA-ASAJA has again urged the European institutions to "react once and for all and close the borders to South African citrus while this third country is not able to guarantee the phytosanitary safety of its cargoes destined for Europe".
Meanwhile, to specifically prevent the entry and spread of the false codling moth, the farming entity asks that the cold treatment required by Community regulations be applied rigorously to oranges from South Africa and that this obligation be extended to other South African citrus species that are equally vulnerable to the transmission of this pest.
"Given the alarming figures of interceptions in citrus imports destined for the EU", AVA-Asaja has insisted that "both black spot and the false codling moth be kept in the next review of the European list of quarantine pests and diseases of priority".
MERCOSUR
As for the Mercosur block, the latest EU notifications also, in September and October, include three new cases of bacterial canker of citrus (Xanthomonas citri) in limes from Brazil and two additional interceptions of black spot in oranges originating from Argentina, both countries favored by the recent trade agreement with Mercosur, signed despite the rejection of the farming sector.