• The South African government has denied claims suggesting the implementation of new regulations aimed at limiting farm-export quotas based on race.
• Two media houses had reported that farms labelled as "too White" will face restrictions on exporting their produce to the UK and the European Union.
• The government says the reports misrepresented the government's message about the procedure and annual application for export permits.

The South African government has denied claims suggesting the implementation of new regulations aimed at limiting farm-export quotas based on race.

City Press and Rapport newspapers, both based in Johannesburg, reported on Sunday that farms labelled as "too White" will face restrictions on exporting their produce to the UK and the European Union.

They referred to Government Gazette notices published on Nov. 2, outlining guidelines that will affect agricultural businesses with a minimum annual turnover of 10 million rand ($535,000).

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform & Rural Development clarified that procedural requirements for export permits are published annually.

The department stated in a text message on Monday that these requirements include adherence to sanitary, phytosanitary standards, rules of origin, and other factors outlined in bilateral agreements.

The articles "misrepresented the government's message about the procedure and annual application for export permits," it said. "These requirements are not new, and there is no threshold or level that an applicant must reach to be awarded a permit."

Source of the article: Business Insider Africa