AVA-ASAJA warns of the entry of ecological grapefruits from South Africa contaminated with an active substance prohibited in the EU

Given the recent detection of a consignment of organic grapefruits from South Africa with residues of an active ingredient that has been banned since 2018 in the European Union due to its danger, the Valencian Association of Farmers (AVA-ASAJA) calls on the European Commission to carry out carry out greater control in the entry and labeling of foreign certified organic products that are sent to Europe. The interception was notified yesterday by the authorities of the Netherlands through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) and the sample of the product that was analyzed in the laboratory found a proportion of Glufosinate of 0.39; 0.51 milligrams/kilo (ppm), when its Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) allowed is set at 0.05 mg/kg. Glufosinate is an active substance used as a herbicide that the EU prohibited its use by European farmers more than 5 years ago. AVA-ASAJA regrets that a product that must travel more than 13,000 kilometers is classified as ecological, since in its ...