Spain: Black spot is on the rise in African citrus and the countryside demands solutions

The new interceptions of pests and diseases recorded by the European Union in August confirm that South Africa has a serious problem with black spot in citrus (Phyllosticta citricarpa). The South African country accumulated eight more cases of shipments infested with the fungus that causes black spot in its citrus imports destined for the EU in the last month, of which seven were found in lemons and one in mandarins. Added to the twelve detections in June and July, South African citrus fruits have already had twenty interceptions of black spot in their first three months of the export campaign. Fearing that this phytosanitary risk will increase even more, now that shipments are about to reach their peak, the Valencian Association of Farmers (AVA-ASAJA) demands that the EU close its borders to South African citrus fruits. The president of the agricultural organisation, Cristóbal Aguado, states that “the European Commission, starting with Ursula Von der Leyen, cannot continue to ...