• The already approved measure would provide security to their shipments: each interception – and there are dozens due to the False Codling Moth – entails the destruction of citrus fruits or their re-shipment to a third country, and if they continue to occur, the only alternative left for the EU would be to ban imports.
• It is a non-chemical treatment, compatible with European restrictions on pesticides, which, in addition to being effective for T. leucotreta, could also be effective for B. dorsalis, two serious pests present in South Africa and which have already been found several times in European territory after bypassing controls.

La aplicación de un cold treatment en tránsito para la naranja procedente de países con presencia de ‘Falsa polilla’ –lo que afecta fundamentalmente a Sudáfrica y Zimbabue- fue respaldada por el Comité Permanente de Plantas, Animales, Alimentos y Piensos (SCoPAFF) el 1 de febrero. El 10 de marzo concluyó el periodo de consulta para presentar alegaciones en la UE y el 11 de abril lo hizo el plazo de exposición en la Organización Mundial del Comercio (OMC). Intercitrus cuenta, además, con el compromiso por escrito de la comisaria de Sanidad y Seguridad Alimentaria, Stella Kyriakides, de que éste comenzará a implementarse “antes del comienzo de la nueva temporada comercial” (de importación del hemisferio sur, se entiende). Y según las propias estadísticas de Sudáfrica, eso ocurrirá en la semana 18 de este año (del 2 al 8 de mayo). De ahí que Intercitrus apremie al ejecutivo comunitario para que presente en los próximos días –a lo sumo 2-3 semanas- el reglamento para su rápida aprobación por los Estados miembro. “Es la mejor opción incluso para la propia Sudáfrica porque la alternativa para la Comisión, de mantenerse las interceptaciones de esta plaga y conociendo el dictamen de la EFSA (Autoridad Europea para la Seguridad Alimentaria), sólo podría ser vetar las importaciones de todas las naranjas y mandarinas de Sudáfrica” advierte la presidenta de la interprofesional citrícola de España, Inmaculada Sanfeliu.   

The implementation of cold treatment in transit for oranges from countries with False Codling Moth presence – mainly affecting South Africa and Zimbabwe – was endorsed by the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food, and Feed (SCoPAFF) on February 1st. The consultation period for submitting objections in the EU ended on March 10th, and on April 11th, the exposure period in the World Trade Organization (WTO) concluded. Additionally, Intercitrus has received a written commitment from the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, that this treatment will begin to be implemented “before the start of the new commercial season” (from the southern hemisphere, that is). According to South Africa’s own statistics, this will happen in week 18 of this year (May 2nd to May 8th). once, Intercitrus urges the European Commission to present the regulation in the next few days, at most in 2-3 weeks, for rapid approval by the Member States. “It is the best option even for South Africa because the alternative for the Commission, if interceptions of this pest continue and knowing the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) opinion, could only be to ban all imports of oranges and tangerines from South Africa,” warns the president of the Spanish citrus interprofessional, Inmaculada Sanfeliu.

South Africa and Zimbabwe accounted for 56.3% of the total interceptions of harmful organisms in citrus imported into the EU in 2021 (117 out of 208) and 96.6% of those for ‘False Codling Moth’ (28 out of 29). This was not a novelty: between 2017 and 2020, these two countries again led the ranking for this same pest, with South Africa accumulating 54 rejections and Zimbabwe 14, whose producer-exporters are also controlled by the former, compared to 13 from Israel and 3 from Swaziland, which also depends on South Africa. There are dozens of rejections every year in European ports, and each one implies, according to current regulations, either the destruction of the entire merchandise or its re-export to non-EU destinations. “For South Africa, due to international prestige, the security of its shipments, and the cost generated by so many interceptions – even more so with the skyrocketing prices of maritime freight – it is convenient to apply a treatment like this, which is internationally standardized, has a very manageable cost, and is the only one that ensures compliance with EU legislation, which requires complete absence of the pest,” clarifies Sanfeliu.

South Africa also suffers from another pest that, like the Thaumatotibia leucotreta (‘False Codling Moth’), is considered by EU regulations as “priority,” meaning it is listed in the top 20 pathogens categorized by its greater “economic, social, and environmental” impact. This pest is the Bactrocera dorsalis or ‘Oriental Fruit Fly.’ The cold treatment pending implementation would be effective in eliminating the larvae of both pests. In fact, Citrus Research International—a research center funded by the Citrus Growers Association of Southern Africa—has been studying this possibility, including its effectiveness combined with other pests present in the country, such as Ceratitis rosa and Ceratitis capitata (the latter being the only one present in Spain).

If this treatment is not applied, the risk of introducing the two “priority” pathogens would be unacceptable. The EFSA already warned in a report last summer that the “systems approach” applied by South Africa was ineffective, and in practice, the presence of both pests in European territory has already been confirmed on several occasions: the ‘False Codling Moth’ is established in Israel—which demonstrates its ability to acclimate to the Mediterranean—, it was identified in a greenhouse in Saxony, Germany in 2018, and its presence was detected in the Netherlands in 2009 and 2013. More threatening were the findings, in areas more suitable for their reproduction, of the ‘Oriental Fruit Fly’ in Italy in 2018 and last summer in France, the latter in a citrus field, among others. All cases confirmed that controls, both at origin and destination, failed.

The cold treatment approved by the Commission – 16 days at between 0 and -1 degrees Celsius – is not the one advocated by Intercitrus, which advocated the treatment used by the US for this same pest, which is 22 days at -0.55 degrees Celsius. Moreover, the proposed cold treatment is less demanding and is based on a study by the South African Citrus Research International (CRI), which was described as “reduced intensity” and whose validity was questioned by the EFSA itself. However, it is based on the same non-chemical process that leaves no residue and is therefore the most sustainable solution, also adapted to the requirements of European phytosanitary regulations. Essentially, it is a treatment similar to the one mentioned earlier, demanded by the APHIS-USDA, a system that allowed South Africa 23 uninterrupted years of citrus exports to the US without any incidents, neither of T. leucotreta nor of B. dorsalis. This continued until 2014 when, probably due to an error in its application, the first two rejections occurred, prompting the US to tighten the cold treatment requirements and limit access ports to three (later four). The restrictive measure remained in place until 2020.

Based on this precedent and many others accumulated in Europe itself, Intercitrus considers that the best option, even for South Africa, is for the EU to decide to develop and approve the cold treatment. If this does not happen and its implementation is delayed, the succession of new interceptions – also in mandarins or grapefruits – would lead the Commission to suspend imports from this country. There are precedents: in 2003, the Spanish government unilaterally banned imports from Argentina and Brazil due to ‘Black Spot’ and ‘Citrus Canker’; in 2013, Brussels did the same with South Africa also due to ‘Black Spot’, and more recently, in 2021, imports from Argentina had to be suspended. In all cases, after the crisis, import conditions were tightened. Intercitrus believes that this treatment will be effective against ‘False Codling Moth’ in oranges and that its success would automatically lead to its extension to mandarins and grapefruits – whose risk is identical.