But it seems their joy may be short-lived, as the U.K. prepares to realign with EU animal and plant health rules — known as Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures — under the terms of the U.K.-EU ‘reset’ deal. This would effectively mean readopting EU citrus controls, which have become even stricter in the intervening years since Brexit.
Since 2022, EU regulations require South African citrus exporters to subject fruits to cooling treatments to limit the spread of pests and disease, such as false codling moth and citrus black spot, in addition to providing a phytosanitary certificate.
However, these measures have come at a significant cost to exporters, who say the cooling treatment heightens the risk of spoilage — particularly for organic fruit.
The South African government has since initiated two separate dispute settlement procedures at the World Trade Organization against EU regulations, arguing that they are unscientific, discriminatory, and primarily protect Spanish citrus producers.
The EU, meanwhile, maintains that its pest control measures are necessary and scientifically sound, citing recent interceptions of pests in South African consignments.
With the prospect of the U.K. now signing up to EU SPS rules — and potentially inserting itself into a bitter WTO dispute — South African exporters are rattled.