The European Commission has confirmed the detection of Thaumatotibia leucotreta In oranges from South Africa, a quarantine pest known as the false moth, whose presence is banned in the European Union. The discovery comes despite the obligation to maintain cold treatment during maritime transport, a protocol designed to completely eliminate the insect.
In view of this new case, the Valencian Farmers Association (AVA-ASAJA) is requesting Brussels to thorough review of the cooling system applied by South Africa and does not rule out strong measures if failures are confirmed, including the Temporary closure of borders to South African citrus fruits to prevent the introduction and spread of the pest in crops and trees.
What happened and why it worries
The community notification corresponds to a shipment of South African oranges with false moth intercepted in September. European regulations require continuous refrigeration throughout the entire journey by ship, precisely to ensure the inactivation of the quarantine pest.
The agricultural sector emphasizes that a detection under these conditions shows that something is not working in the application of the protocol, whether due to poor execution, incomplete monitoring or insufficient verification of treatment parameters.
Cold treatment under the microscope
AVA-ASAJA has been pointing out a critical point for some time: the recording sensors install the measurement in the container environment and not in the fruit pulp, which is the tissue that must actually reach and maintain the lethal temperature for the pest. If only air is controlled, the fruit might not reach the necessary threshold.
In his view, the Commission should require additional checks to ensure that the target temperature is achieved in the pulp for the required time, as well as independent audits and verifications of the equipment, records, and correct configuration of the treatment at source.
Border controls: a minimal percentage
Another factor that worries the sector is the limited scope of physical inspections. According to data cited by the organization, only 0,0082% of imports (82 per million) are subject to this type of control, which limits the ability to detect infested batches.
If a shipment has been located with false moth Despite the low sampling rate, farmers fear that more shipments may have arrived undetected. They are therefore calling for immediate reinforcement of the supervision at border checkpoints with risk criteria and higher inspection density.
Recent background and extension of the protocol
This episode is not isolated: in June there was already a interception in South African grapefruit with the presence of the same pest. As a result, AVA-ASAJA insists on extending the cold treatment, correctly applied and verified, to all susceptible citrus species of hosting the false moth, and not limiting it to a specific product.
In addition to reviewing the execution, the sector is proposing a battery of actions to increase phytosanitary guarantees and minimize the risk of pest entry.
- Independent audits of cold systems at origin and documentary verification at destination.
- Installation or sampling that allows correlation pulp temperature and atmosphere throughout the trip.
- Continuous records and digital traceability accessible to supervisory authorities.
- Temporary suspension of operators or farms with repeated breaches of the protocol.
The goal, they say, is to ensure that the cold applied to be effective throughout the logistics chain and that any deviation triggers a rapid response that prevents the spread of the plague in community territory.
The combination of a high-impact plague, the obligation to apply cold and the low intensity of physical controls explains the producers' concern. Until it is confirmed that the protocol works in real conditions and without flaws, farmers consider it a priority to strengthen the prevention at source and at the border to safeguard Europe's citrus heritage.