The EU is realigning some of the rules for organic production concerning the use of plant protection products. This has led to the withdrawal from the organic standards of some substances that are currently used. An example is calcium carbide, which has been applied as a growth regulator by many organic pineapple producers. For the time being, this can no longer be accepted by organic certification bodies on produce destined for the EU market. COLEACP is in discussions on how… +

Rome, Italy: At the International Plant Protection Convention, 25 ACP countries mobilised around sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) issues and priorities On 1–2 April, COLEACP organised an event in Rome to present its Fit For Market SPS programme (FFM SPS) to the competent authorities of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. The event provided an opportunity to discuss SPS issues affecting the ACP fruit and vegetable sector and possibilities for COLEACP support within the framework of FFM SPS, and to review… +

In the fruit and vegetable sector, two new products have been authorised, only for tomatoes: one based on pyrethrins and the other on spinetoram. The following links take you to the Global List of pesticides authorised by the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) following its revision by the 43rd ordinary session of the Sahelian Pesticides Committee (PSC), as well as the list of pesticides authorised by the 43rd session of the PSC. These lists will… +

Rungis International Market, on the outskirts of Paris, is the largest wholesale food market in the world. At 50 years old, and in the age of the internet and e-commerce, the market has not lost any of its freshness or size: covering 234 hectares, it involves 1,200 companies, 12,500 employees and 9,500 tons of fresh produce each day. It was in February 1969 that the market in Les Halles moved from the heart of Paris to the southern suburbs, for… +

In its 36th year, Macfrut (8–10 May) will be honouring the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. Exhibitors will include Angola, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Delegations from other countries in the region will attend to meet fruit and vegetable buyers from the European markets. In 2018, 43,000 visitors visited Rimini (up from 39,000 in 2017) – 25% of whom were international. The show’s 2018 Tropical Fruit Congress brought together the elite of the world’s mango and… +

The European Union is in the process of overhauling its plant health regulations. In December 2019, the new EU plant  health regulation will become fully operational. In the meantime, the existing rules are being enforced more rigorously and special measures have already been introduced for a number of imported crops where there have been high numbers of notifications due to quarantine pests. The new EU plant health rules focus in particular on crops that are a known pathway into the… +