South African citrus farmers want their government to lodge a complaint against the European Union at the World Trade Organisation over the European bloc's citrus black spot regulations which they say threaten thousands of jobs. The measures imposed by the EU in June 2022 require enhanced cold treatment for citrus exports due to concerns over False Codling Moth, a pest commonly found in sub-Saharan Africa, and Citrus Black Spot (CBS), a fungal disease which leaves dark spots on fruit. The EU's plant health rules could cut South Africa's orange exports to Europe by 20% this year, according to the Citrus Growers Association of Southern Africa (CGA).
The European Union is demanding that citrus exports from South Africa be subjected to extreme cold storage in a bid to stave off false codling moth infestation.
The conflict in Ukraine has throttled SA's citrus exports to Russia and driven input costs higher, further squeezing fruit producers already suffering from spiralling shipping costs, an industry body said.