Summary
Confirmation of citrus black spot infections on imports of fruit from Tunisia is being linked to the illegal importation of infected planting materials. While the outbreak suggests the infection can take root in Mediterranean production zones, it has no impact on the debate on whether trade in citrus fruit from South Africa can be a vector for disease transmission to citrus growing areas of the EU. The European Commission should continue to resist Spanish citrus producer pressure to include the Phyllosticta citricarpa infection as a ‘priority quarantine pest’, since its inclusion would carry serious trade consequences for ACP citrus exporters. Read more “Tunisian Citrus Black Spot outbreak linked to Infected planting materials not trade in citrus fruit”
Category: SPS / Food safety
No Sign of Enhanced SACU-UK EPA Despite UK High Commissioner Talking Up Opportunities Brexit Will Create
Summary
The UK High Commissioner to South Africa Nigel Casey has argued Brexit will be good for South Africa since the UK will no longer be tied to EU restrictions. However this will only be the case if the UK takes the necessary steps to remove EU27 driven restrictions on South African exports as an integral part of the conclusion of the initial ‘Continuity Agreement’. This will require modification and extension of the existing EPA provisions where these constitute an obstacle to the full development of South African and wider African export potential in its trade with the UK. This includes addressing issues related to: rules of origin; SPS controls; the removal of quantitative restrictions and, in the short term, trade administration challenges and issues related to the unfair functioning of supply chains. This latter issue needs to be seen in a context where a ‘no-deal’ Brexit is likely to generate substantial additional costs, which under current practices are likely to be passed back down to African exporters. Read more “No Sign of Enhanced SACU-UK EPA Despite UK High Commissioner Talking Up Opportunities Brexit Will Create”
New EU Fruit Fly Rules Cause Concern Amongst West African Mango Exporters
Summary
Stricter EU SPS import controls on Tephritidae (fruit flies) infestations due to come into effect on 1st September 2019 could pose challenges for West African mango exports to the EU. This is particularly the case for smaller scale exporters. In this context a ‘no-deal’ Brexit could offer some relief, if the UK could be persuaded to define the required SPS controls with reference solely to the agro-climatic conditions prevailing in the UK rather than across the whole of the EU. This is an issue which concerned ACP exporters should urge their governments to collectively take up with the UK government, with a view to establishing clearly defined structures for dialogue around such a review once the UK is no longer subject to the rules of the EU’s customs union and single market. Read more “New EU Fruit Fly Rules Cause Concern Amongst West African Mango Exporters”
SPS and Food Safety Issues Likely to be Central to US/UK Trade Negotiations
Summary
Ensuring the UK moves away from restrictive EU SPS requirements is likely to be central to the post-Brexit US-UK trade agreement negotiations. If the UK begins to move away from EU SPS and food safety control systems in relations with the US, this could open up new opportunities for ACP exporters whose market position is coming under increasing pressure from the EU’s new Plant Health Regulation, which is likely to come into force only after the UK is no longer part of the EU Customs Union and Single Market. While the citrus sector is the most obvious area where the ACP would have an interest in initiating dialogue with the UK over the SPS import requirements to be applied in the post Brexit period, a review of the UK’s Plant Health Information Portal suggests the initiation of an dialogue on the UK’s future SPS import requirements could prove useful in a range of other areas where increasingly strict EU wide import requirements are being imposed. Read more “SPS and Food Safety Issues Likely to be Central to US/UK Trade Negotiations”
Uganda Takes Steps to Improve Traceability Around SPS Export Controls
Summary
Steps to register exporters of horticulture products subject to stricter SPS requirements constitute a first step in ensuring continued access to the EU market. However ensuring new systems are effectively operated will be critical. It remains to be seen whether the resources can be mobilised in Uganda to enhance the effectiveness of the new regulatory framework being established. This is likely to prove critical to whether or not the recent growth in Ugandan horticulture exports to the EU can be sustained. Read more “Uganda Takes Steps to Improve Traceability Around SPS Export Controls”
Ghanaian Pre-emptive Export Ban on Chilli Peppers, Aubergines and other Leafy Vegetables May Be Just the Beginning
Ghanaian Pre-emptive Export Ban on Chilli Peppers, Aubergines and other Leafy Vegetables May Be Just the Beginning
Summary
In the face of increasingly strict EU SPS implementing regulations the Ghanaian government has introduced a pre-emptive export ban on leafy vegetables. A comprehensive system based approach to pest controls is urgently needed in Ghana, with the South African Phytclean electronic compliance database scheme potentially offering a model for private sector initiatives and private/public sector partnership. Initiating a dialogue with the UK authorities in the context of on-going Continuity Agreement negotiations, on future UK SPS controls, could prove of value in the face of increasingly strict EU SPS controls. In a range of areas, given UK agro-climatic conditions and production conditions the UK authorities assess risks far lower than the EU as whole for a range of fruit and vegetable products of export interest to ACP countries. Securing a reduction in these UK-only SPS controls in line with agro-climatic conditions in the UK could open up new market opportunities for Ghanaian exporters. Read more “Ghanaian Pre-emptive Export Ban on Chilli Peppers, Aubergines and other Leafy Vegetables May Be Just the Beginning”
COLEACP Warning Highlights New EU Requirements for Retaining Access to EU Market for Chilli and Pepper Exports
Summary
COLEACP is offering support to ACP producers of chillies and pepper in getting to grips with new EU documentation requirements related to effective treatment against False Codling Moth infestations. While such initiatives are welcome the increasing commercial costs of compliance is likely to progressively squeeze smaller scale producers out of EU market supply chains. This is likely to be compounded by the ongoing EU review of the acceptable minimum residue levels for pesticides applied to a range of fruit and vegetable imports. Read more “COLEACP Warning Highlights New EU Requirements for Retaining Access to EU Market for Chilli and Pepper Exports”
South Africa-EU CBS Dispute Takes a New Twist
Summary
The discovery of the Citrus Black Spot (CBS) fungal infection in citrus imports from Tunisia could prove a game changer in terms of South African efforts to secure a reduction of the EU’s commercially costly CBS control requirements. This is likely to give added important to discussions with the UK on its’ future SPS control arrangements to be applied under ‘no-deal’ Brexit Continuity Agreements. Removing controls on a citrus specific infection in a context where the UK has no commercial citrus production, alongside a lifting of TRQ restrictions on South African duty free access to the UK market, could help unlock the currently stalled UK-SADC EPA Continuity Agreement negotiations. This would be particularly the case if such a move signalled the UK governments’ willingness to respond more broadly to the changed trade realities which a ‘no-deal’ Brexit will give rise to. Read more “South Africa-EU CBS Dispute Takes a New Twist”
Spanish Pressure for Application of Safeguards Against Imports of South Africa Citrus Fruit Increase Despite Evidence of National Nature of the Current Citrus Market Crisis
Summary
While Spanish citrus producers continue to press for safeguard measures against imports of citrus fruit from South Africa, EU data suggests the growth of imports from morocco and Egypt has been more significant than the growth in imports from South Africa. Furthermore EU data suggests declines in both EU citrus consumption and EU exports have had a far greater market effect than any increase in import volumes. EU data also suggests the current citrus market difficulties are specific to Spain, the only EU country where citrus prices are below the 5 year average. This strongly suggests that rather than restrictions on imports from South Africa, national action is required to strengthen the functioning of the citrus supply chains and eliminate unfair trading practices along citrus supply chains. Read more “Spanish Pressure for Application of Safeguards Against Imports of South Africa Citrus Fruit Increase Despite Evidence of National Nature of the Current Citrus Market Crisis”
CBS Control Challenge Yields Benefits for False Codling Moth Controls
Summary
The development of a systems based approach to pest and disease control for CBS is yielding benefits in terms of South African controls of False Codling Moth (FCM). EU FCM interceptions on imports from South Africa were down in 2018, with a far lower level of interceptions than other ACP exporters despite South Africa’s far higher volume of exports to the EU of potentially infected products. Calls for a ‘white list’ approach to FCM related import controls if adopted by the EU could free up scarce pest control resources for deployment in the most vulnerable areas. However development assistance support will be required to ensure small scale producers are not commercially disadvantaged by any moves over to a ‘white list’ approach. Given South Africa’s successful experience there would appear to be scope for the sharing of best pest-control practices across ACP exporters of vulnerable products. Read more “CBS Control Challenge Yields Benefits for False Codling Moth Controls”