Tons of oranges rot in containers blocked in European ports and risk destruction, as South Africa and the European Union clash in a trade dispute over import rules. A dispute that dates back to last month, when South Africa, the world’s second largest exporter of fresh citrus fruits after Spain, lodged a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) when the EU introduced new requirements phytosanitary which, according to the producers, threaten their survival.
The measures came into effect last July when ships carrying hundreds of containers full of South African fruit bound for Europe were already at sea, leading to them being blocked on arrival, according to the association. South African Citrus Growers Association (CGA). “It’s a complete and utter disaster,” CGA CEO Justin Chadwick told AFP, before adding: “Exceptional quality food, which poses no risk, vegetates there … It’s really a disaster”.
An African parasite at the heart of the conflict
The EU rules aim to tackle the potential spread of false codling moth, an African pest that has a thing for oranges and grapefruits. The EU requires extreme cold treatment of all oranges destined for European tables and holding at or below two degrees Celsius for 25 days.
However, South African producers consider these measures far from necessary, as the country already has more targeted means to prevent infestation. In its complaint to the WTO, South Africa argues that the EU requirements are “not based on science”, that they are “discriminatory” and excessive. Still according to South Africa, these rules place additional stress on an already tried industry.
A two billion euro market
This conflict has considerable economic and social consequences, with Europe being the largest market for South African citrus fruits, which are worth nearly two billion euros and represent 37% of exports, according to the CGA. The sector employs more than 120,000 people in a country where more than one in three people are unemployed.
In addition, these new rules took producers by surprise, some 3.2 million boxes of citrus fruit worth around 35 million euros having left with papers that became invalid on arrival. For its part, the EU said it was confident about the “compatibility of its measures with the rules of the WTO”, which manages the dispute between the two parties. The latter have 60 days to negotiate a solution. Failing this, the complainant may request panel arbitration.