The Valencian Association of Farmers (AVA-ASAJA) said in a release that eight new cases of black spot have been discovered in South African citrus shipments bound for the European Union during the last month. The affected fruit included lemons and mandarins.

In addition, there were 12 detections in June and July. In total, South African citrus has presented 20 black spot cases in the first three months of the export season, the association reported.

Fearing that this phytosanitary risk will increase, now that shipments have reached their peak, AVA-ASAJA urged the European Union to close its borders to South African citrus.

“The European Commission, starting with Ursula Von der Leyen, cannot continue to maintain such a permissive, shameful, and reckless position with a third country, which has shown that it cannot or does not want to ensure the plant health of its citrus,” said the president of AVA-ASAJA, Cristobal Aguado, in a statement issued by the group.

“Instead of prioritizing other commercial interests, opaque to the agricultural sector and public opinion, Brussels should protect its agriculture from the phytosanitary danger posed by South Africa. Or is it going to wait, as it does every year, for South Africa itself to decide, with the complicity of the European Union, to cease exports when all ships have already sailed and wwithout providing any guarantee that next year will be better?” he added.

AVA-ASAJA also noted that Zimbabwe, a neighboring country of South Africa, also detected black spot and false codling moth in its South African imports of oranges, so the agricultural organization urged to extend the mandatory cold treatment to citrus imports from that nation.

As for the false moth, in addition to the case in Zimbabwe, AAVA-ASAJA highlighted repeated cases in other African countries such as Ethiopia (three more detections in August), Kenya (one detection), and Uganda (one detection), all in rose imports.

South American supply

However, the agrarian entity's appeal is not restricted only to African countries. In full discussion of the agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, AVA-ASAJA warned that “Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay are also unreliable from the phytosanitary point of view and which should be enough to stop a treaty that would increase the risk of introducing new pests and diseases”.

Brazil, reports the entity, accumulated 61 interceptions of the Elsinoë fungus (five cases in August) and the citrus bacterial cancer Xanthomonas citri (three in August).

Argentina had two detections of black spot and one of Elsinoë in shipments of lemons this month, the agency said.

Uruguay had one detection of black spot in oranges and three of bacterial cancer in lemons.

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