This means panels will have to hear the case and rule on a trade disagreement between South Africa and the European Union within a number of months. The WTO’s DSB is a relatively unknown but hugely important body that upholds the rule of law in international trade. It provides mechanisms through which disputes can be settled, and it ensures the stability necessary for global trade to function smoothly and fairly. The issues the DSB will have to rule about concern plant health measures imposed by the eu on citrus imported from South Africa. These measures are considered by the EU to be necessary to protect it from two citrus plant health threats: Citrus Black Spot (CBS) and False Codling Moth (FCM). South Africa already had a world-class and robust plant health system that ensures only safe, quality fruit is exported. Although measures were introduced on CBS as early as 1992, the additional CBS and FCM measures are recent developments.

South Africa now has to comply with these unnecessary regulations, which include additional inspections, more intense spray programmes, excessive cold treatment protocols, numerous sampling and assessment procedures, and various other forms of costly administration. Complying with these measures places an immense burden on local citrus growers. They have to spend almost R4 billion annually just to adhere to these measures. There are citrus producing areas in South Africa that are CBS free and CBS has never spread to those areas in South Africa, but the EU is progressively putting stricter measures in place because of a perceived risk of CBS spreading to the EU. Source: Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa,