The EU should widen proposed control measures to include all South African citrus, including fruit for processing, Copa- Cogeca Secretary General Pekka Pesonen wrote in a letter to EU Health Commissioner Tonio Borg. Imports from zones with black spot disease should be automatically banned the moment six contaminated cargoes are intercepted, Pesonen said.

South Africa is the biggest supplier of citrus fruit to the EU from outside the bloc, shipping 471.5 million euros ($651.3 million) of oranges, grapefruits, mandarins and lemons last year, Eurostat data show. The EU intercepted 34 shipments from the country last year that contained black spot disease, the Europhyt database shows.

Available: http://www.moneyweb.co.za/moneyweb-south-africa/eu-farmers-demand-stricter-disease-checks-on-sa-ci