The import of food products from outside the European Union (EU) entails risks, which is why the Twenty-Seven devote considerable efforts to monitoring their status and checking their sanitary and phytosanitary certification. In this context, the EU, through the TRACES platform, detected seven new cases of citrus black spot (Phyllosticta citricarpa) in citrus shipments from South Africa during July. These latest interceptions bring the total number of consignments infected with the disease identified in 2026 to 15.
In this regard, the Valencian Association of Farmers (AVA-Asaja) calls on the European Commission to adopt measures to prevent the disease from entering and spreading, as it is considered one of the main phytosanitary threats to citrus farming in the EU.
Of the seven new interceptions, six involved consignments of lemons and one involved a shipment of oranges. For this reason, AVA-Asaja warns that South Africa is still approximately halfway through its citrus export season to the EU, meaning that it believes the risk could persist in the coming months unless further measures are adopted.
Citrus black spot is a disease caused by the fungus Phyllosticta citricarpa, which causes cosmetic lesions, such as dark spots, on the peel of fruit—including lemons, oranges and mandarins—thereby reducing their commercial value.
Competition from outside the EU
In recent years, citrus exports from South Africa to the EU have soared, rising from 55,345 tonnes in 2017 to 218,230 tonnes in 2025. In other words, they have almost quadrupled in eight years.
This increase is affecting Spanish producers, mainly located in the Valencian Community, who in recent years have faced a competitor that is taking market share from them in the European market.
The same applies to Mercosur, the tariff-free trade agreement between the EU, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay—countries with a high production capacity for oranges, mandarins and lemons that now have easier access to the European market, at the expense of local farmers. The underlying debate is that farmers within the EU believe that third countries don’t have the same sanitary requirements, resulting in unfair competition.
