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South Africa faces a total ban on citrus exports to Europe because of black spot disease, a fungal condition affecting the outer skin of fruit.
Head of Citrus Research International, Dr Vaughn Hattingh says Citrus Black Spot is fairly common in Southern Hemisphere growing areas and in the United States, but is not known to have occurred in Europe.
He says the impending ban is a result of more than 35 citrus shipments this year from South Africa being found to have been infected with CBS.
"It is bad news for the Industry but our understanding the situation that we have received reports on is at this stage it is only a proposal to implement a ban and our understanding is that there will be a meeting of the standing committee on health in Brussels on the 27th and 28th of November. The European committee will have to decide on the proposal to implement the ban" Hatting said.
South Africa exports about 600 000 tons of citrus into Europe each year, worth approximately R13 billion.
