Brussels, 28/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 27 May, the experts of the member states of the EU approved detailed emergency measures, proposed by the European Commission, aiming to prevent the introduction and spread within the EU of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, which is harmful to many crops.
The measures approved, which replace the interim measures adopted in February of this year, include: - strict conditions on the import and movement of plants which host, or are likely to host, this bacterium; - the timely identification of Xylella fastidiosa in the affected areas as well as its eradication (obligation to notify any outbreak, official annual surveys, demarcation of infected areas, sampling, testing and monitoring, and removal and destruction of infected plants).
The bacterium Xylella fastidiosa was recently found for the first time within the EU. It was identified in Italy, in the Apulia region (province of Lecce). This bacterium mainly attacks olive trees, and can kill them.
The cultivation of olives and olive trees is widespread in the Mediterranean region and is vital for the rural economy, local heritage and the environment, the European Commission reiterates. After Spain, Italy is the second-largest producer of olives in the EU, with an area of around 1.7 million hectares under cultivation. 80% of Italian production is located in southern Italy, particularly in Apulia (370,000 hectares cultivated with olives).
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recently stated that this bacterium was transmitted by certain types of stinging insects which feed on xylem. The bacteria can be present on a very wide range of host plants, particularly almond, peach, plum and apricot trees, vines, citrus, coffee bushes and olive trees, sunflower and oak, elm and ginkgo. Plants can be carriers of the bacterium without presenting any signs of disease, EFSA goes on to point out. (LC)