According to a report from European auditors, "Argentina has an integral system in place for the export of citrus fruits, with appropriate measures in each critical stage of the process; the country has also considerably strengthened its phytosanitary controls to minimise the risk of detection of quarantine pests at points of entry to the European Union."
The EU auditors also said to be "happy with the systems implemented by the state agency to meet the phytosanitary and safety requirements of the European market," pointed out Senasa in a statement.
At the start of their activities, the EU auditors were received by the Vice President of Senasa, Guillermo Rossi, and the national directors of Plant Protection and Food Safety and Food Quality of the entity.
The delegation later visited Senasa's Vegetable Laboratory in Buenos Aires and then travelled to Tucuman, where technicians met with regional authorities of the Service, toured the facilities of the Agro-industrial Experimental Station Obispo Colombres, and visited productive farms and citrus packing plants in the province, verifying that the phytosanitary requirements and safety and quality standards required by the EU were met.
On their return, they also held meetings with regional SENASA authorities of the Capital, Entre Rios and Buenos Aires North and visited port terminals and warehouses, where they verified the compliance with the EU's regulations.
During 2015, fresh citrus fruit exports to countries of the European Union totalled more than 170,000 tonnes, including lemons, oranges and mandarins. This season, an increase in the export volumes is expected.
