• Enrique Bellés (Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias) takes over the presidency of the interprofessional organization from Inmaculada Sanfeliu (Private Trade). Both agree that it is “essential” to act to halt the decline in consumption detected this season.
• Minister Luis Planas, who closed the Assembly, commits to working towards citrus being a ‘sensitive product’ in the revision of the agreement with Southern Africa and in favor of reciprocity through ‘mirror clauses’ but predicts that this is “a discussion that has only just begun.”
• Intercitrus and the ministry argue that the cold treatment is “fully compatible with the WTO”.

The General Assembly of the Spanish Citrus Interprofessional (Intercitrus) – closed this morning by Agriculture Minister Luis Planas – has elected Enrique Bellés (Agri-food Cooperatives) as its new president, who thus takes over from Inmaculada Sanfeliu (CGC). Bellés, assuming this responsibility for the fourth time, has begun by acknowledging that this past campaign “has been one of resurgence for Intercitrus” – with the approval of cold treatment as the main milestone – and has indicated that he trusts that the season now starting will be one of its “consolidation.” Along with this, he has advanced that the success of Intercitrus’s management during the next year will be measured according to two objectives, “to negotiate a standardized contract and to be able to mobilize European funds to promote campaigns.” Sanfeliu has agreed with him on the opportunity to undertake such campaigns given the evident decrease in citrus consumption confirmed this season, and has also predicted “a promising future” for the interprofessional, but has insisted on making what has been achieved count and has therefore demanded that efforts now focus on “verifying compliance with cold treatment effectively and in accordance with the standard.” Faced with the recent conflict opened by the Government of South Africa – which has initiated a dispute against the EU for this reason – Minister Planas himself has maintained that the EU regulation “is fully compatible” with the regulations of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The College of the ‘Association of Cooperatives and Related Entities’ takes over the leadership of this organization, succeeding the Private Trade leadership. The event, held at the Government Delegation headquarters in Valencia, was attended by significant institutional representation: the delegate herself, Pilar Bernabé, the Secretary General of Agriculture of the ministry, Fernando Miranda, the Director General of Agriculture, and the Director General of Common Agricultural Policy of the Valencian Ministry of Agriculture, Antonio Quintana and Maite Cháfer, respectively, accompanied the minister during the closing of the Assembly. Beyond the change in the top representation of the interprofessional, vice presidencies have also been designated for the upcoming campaign, which will fall on Celestino Recatalá – who will also serve as treasurer; Inmaculada Sanfeliu – secretary; Francisco Bernal Muñoz; Antonio Peiró-Camaró; and Marcos Gual.

In response to the situation created at EU entry ports by oranges arriving from South Africa after July 14 – the date when European regulations mandated the application of cold treatment – Sanfeliu has reiterated the call for authorities to ensure compliance with all technical requirements: precooling temperature, monitoring verification, probe calibration, proper loading, and temperature sensors applied to the orange pulp. In this regard, the minister acknowledged that technicians from his department have worked “intensely” in recent weeks in collaboration with other Member States, and it is a fact – as acknowledged by South African exporters themselves – that many containers are being held because they did not comply with the established requirements. “Since the regulation was published on June 21 in the Official Journal of the European Union, affected operators had sufficient time to adapt,” Sanfeliu concluded.

Bellés, on his part, also mentioned the “high-level pressures” – such as those occurring last week during the meeting between South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and the President of the EU Council, Charles Michel – “to nullify the regulation.” However, in line with what Sanfeliu also stated, he indicated that the interprofessional “will continue working” to extend this requirement to other crops – mandarins and grapefruits – for which there is also the same phytosanitary risk posed by the False Codling Moth as in oranges. In this regard, Planas pledged that his department “will be attentive to, at the appropriate time,” demand the extension of this treatment to such crops.

Furthermore, the minister reiterated that Spain is advocating for the categorization of citrus fruits as a “very sensitive product” in the review process of the Trade Agreement between the EU and Southern Africa. Along the same lines, he emphasized that work is ongoing in Brussels regarding reciprocity through the inclusion of the so-called ‘mirror clauses’ in all treaties signed by the European Commission to ensure equal treatment in European production conditions compared to imports from third countries. On this matter, Planas acknowledged, discussions in Europe “have only just begun.”