31 black spot detections were reported in 2024 for South African citrus

The European Commission's Europhyt platform reported that European Union entry points intercepted three more cases of black spot (Phyllosticta citricarpa) in shipments of South African citrus in November, reported the Valencian Association of Farmers (AVA-ASAJA) The Valencian entity warned of the "black year for South African citrus, since, with these detections, it has accumulated a total of 31 interceptions of this serious quarantine disease so far in 2024, which demonstrates its lack of will or capacity to guarantee the phytosanitary safety of its shipments." Therefore, the organization chaired by Cristóbal Aguado demanded that the European Commission "put all the effort it puts into closing the treaty with Mercosur, despite the rejection of the European agricultural sector, into tightening controls on foreign imports and preventing the entry of new pests and diseases not present in Europe." “Enough of sacrificing European agriculture, using it as a bargaining chip in all trade ...