Row Erupts Over EU Duty Free Quotas for South African Sugar, Ethanol and Citrus

14 Sep 2016 --- European farming group Copa Cogeca is warning against a new free trade deal between South Africa and the EU which it claims increases trade concessions on imports of oranges, sugar and ethanol.

MEPs are due to vote on the deal between the member states and the South African Development Community (SADC) later this week. 

Copa & Cogeca general secretary Pekka Pesonen warns that such a deal poses a huge threat to European producers and risks worsening the economic climate. 

“It is totally unacceptable that the EU is making this free trade deal without looking at the EU market impact. These new concessions will increase the period until the end of November for allowing imports of oranges from South Africa to come into the EU which will have a negative impact on EU orange producers at the start of the season when prices are the most attractive,” he says. 

“It will certainly have a bad impact on the sector and put thousands of jobs at risk, especially in the Mediterranean countries where the current economic crisis is being felt the most.” 

The EU has put forward duty free quota for SADC which Pesonen says is unfair to European counterparts. 

“We also have serious concerns about concessions being made in the sugar and ethanol sectors. The EU has proposed increasing concessions in these sectors so that the SADC will receive a duty free quota of 100,000 tons of raw sugar and 50,000 tonnes of white sugar as well as 80,000 tons for ethanol. This is unacceptable.”

“We consequently urge MEPs to call for an impact assessment to be carried out on the agriculture sector and urge them to suspend ratification of the proposed deal when they vote in Strasbourg this week”, he adds.

A letter outlining the Copa Cogeca demands has been distributed to MEPs.