The Department of Agriculture recently called on citrus producers to be extra cautious to ensure that fruit with citrus black spot (CBS) doesn’t land in sensitive markets. SA, wanting to comply with EU regulations, has been trying to prove that CBS is not a threat to the European market since December 2000.
Progress has unfortunately been slow and the latest development is the referral of the issue to the European Food Safety Authority (EFTA). Priscilla Sehoole, chief of communications for the Department of Agriculture said that they are hoping for a positive response from the EFTA within the next few months. Meanwhile, the Perishable Products Export Control Board (PPECB), in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, has initiated additional control measures to curb the incidences of CBS-positive fruit in sensitive markets. These measures have been widely communicated by way of a citrus road show in February this year, which was coordinated by the Citrus Cold Chain Forum under the auspices of Citrus Research International.
The additional measures include the flagging of pallets indicating the CBS status at packhouse level to inform the database at PPECB for future reference. The status remains unchanged within the information flow from the point of packing to the point of export. A final audit will also be conducted at the point of export by the PPECB during its certification process as a final mechanism to reduce risk. Sehoole said that new discipline calls for good cooperation between the regulator and the citrus industry. PPECB will also assist the industry to become fully Electronic Data Interchange compliant during 2008 – of which unique and scannable pallet identification numbers are essential building blocks to enhance traceability.
Glenneis Erasmus
