SA braces for stricter CBA measures

South Africa is standing firm in its contention that Citrus Black Spot (CBS) does not pose a risk to European growers’ crops as it has never been recorded to spread to new areas through the movement of infected fruit. According to Vaughan Hattingh, CEO of Citrus Research International, CBS is introduced into new areas through infected planting material in a climatically suitable area. “The disease spreads over short distances by airborne ascospores,” he said. “At the same time CBS has never spread to any part of the world with a Mediterranean type, winter rainfall climate.” He said further research had shown that under normal good agricultural practices CBS was well controlled and did not cause severe yield and quality losses. He said despite this and other research being presented to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), expectations were that the European Commission would implement even stricter controls for citrus imports into Europe this year that would affect the South African market. He said South African citrus growers should ready themselves for measures much like last year if not more stringent. “The South African government is in close negotiations with European role-players in an effort to determine what measures will be required in 2014 and what can be done to ensure that South Africa is compliant with European regulation and that it is manageable,” said Hattingh.