49 batches of Turkish citrus rejected by EU in 2022-23
The European Commission has reported through the RASSF system (European Union Rapid Alert System for Food) that during the 2022-2023 campaign, 49 batches of Turkish lemon and grapefruit were rejected, prohibiting their entry and marketing in the European Union. Of the total, there were 43 batches of lemon and 6 batches of grapefruit.
Ailimpo director José Antonio García said: “For us, this official EU data is very important because it is proof that the control system in Turkey does not offer sufficient guarantees. It is also important that retailers know this data so that they can adapt their supply strategy.”
Responding to the findings, Mustafa Arslan of MDA Tarim said: “As a company, we take this situation very seriously. That is why we provide technical support to our farmers with the technical details of spraying and fertilisation, which we attach great importance to, and continue monitoring until after harvest”.
The prohibited active materials detected in Turkish lemons and grapefruits at official checkpoints at EU borders were: Buprofezin, Butachlor, Chlorpyrifos, Chlorpyrifos-Methyl, Benzalkonium Chloride, Fenvalerate, Fenbutatin Oxide, Prochloraz and Propiconazole.
Active authorised materials that exceeded the MRL were: Imazalil; exceeding the MRL by up to 6 times. Some rejected lots contained up to 4 prohibited active substances or substances that exceeded the MRL.
