On 21 July 2014 the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA) issued a press release that the Plant Health Authorities in The Netherlands, on the day, had notified the South African Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Daff) that they had intercepted a consignment of South African citrus with citrus black spot (CBS) and issued a notification of phytosanitary non-compliance. This is the first interception by the EU inspectors this year.
The CGA dispatched an accredited expert to accompany representatives of the Daff to the farm in question to investigate how CBS could have slipped through the risk management net and, importantly, to propose any remedial measures necessary to prevent a reoccurrence. In addition, the CGA Special Envoy for the EU will travel to the EU for discussions.