Brussels, 12/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - The European association of farmers and cooperatives, Copa-Cogeca, is calling for the suspension of citrus fruit imports from South Africa while waiting for Black Spot disease to be eradicated.
On Thursday 12 September, Copa-Cogeca urged the European Commission for a temporary halt to imports of citrus fruit from South Africa after five cargo loads of produce contaminated with the highly contagious Black Spot disease were detected at EU borders.
“The citrus fruit sector is vital in Europe both from an economic and social point of view. The disease currently does not exist in the EU. The EU Commission has told the South African authorities repeatedly to put in place measures to prevent the spread of the disease to Europe, after the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) warned of the high risk of contamination (…). I have consequently sent a letter to the Commission urging them to suspend imports to the EU immediately until the disease has been eradicated”, states Copa-Cogeca Secretary General Pekka Pesonen in a press release. (EH/transl.fl)