The European Commission has approved cold treatment for the import of citrus fruit arriving in member countries. With this new requirement, the goods must meet a series of phytosanitary criteria in their treatment to guarantee that the citrus fruit does not have any pests that could affect consumers or the vegetation in the territory. This measure is already being applied in the United States and South Korea.
In recent years, countries such as South Africa, Turkey and Argentina have increased the volume of citrus exports to Europe. This growth is the result of massive production, sale at a lower cost and unrestrictive policies in the treatment of the harvest. As a consequence of this lack of regulation and in order to preserve the welfare of health and the environment, the measure has been given the green light.
One factor that has determined the need to regulate fruit exports from non-EU countries has been the arrival of pests that have affected native ecosystems, in other words, crop fields. Fruit flies and false moths are some examples and the consequences for farmers have been devastating.
RFL Cargo, expertos en cold treatment
At RFL Cargo we know that the food industry presents great challenges and the treatment, storage and transport is decisive for the cargo to reach the consumers in optimal conditions. That is why, as an international freight forwarder and integrated logistics operator, we take care of the entire process. We specialise in cold treatment as well as having refrigerated facilities adapted to this type of cargo.
Citrus exports from Spain to the EU
Spain is currently the country that exports the most citrus fruit to the European Union. In 2021, the fruit that exported the most and, therefore, the one that tops the list is the orange with a total of 1,565,850 tonnes. Close behind is the mandarin with 1,325,933 tonnes. Lastly, lemon (724,236 tonnes), grapefruit (74,362 tonnes) and other citrus fruits (5,729 tonnes).
How many oranges does Valencia export in the EU?
The most exported citrus fruit from Spain is the orange. In the European market, the top 10 countries to which Spain sends the most oranges are Germany (448,429 tonnes), France (394,621 tonnes), the Netherlands (103,129 tonnes), Italy (71. 558 tonnes), Poland (69,658 tonnes), Belgium (49,188 tonnes), Sweden (44,573 tonnes), Portugal (31,710 tonnes), Czech Republic (25,844 tonnes), Austria (23,652 tonnes) and Denmark (20,168 tonnes).
Thanks to this new regulation, the market will be equalised and Spain will be able to compete with other exporting countries. Therefore, in the face of regulatory changes, logistics companies will have to adapt to meet the needs of an increasingly global market.
