Brussels, 27/04/2015 (Agence Europe) - The EU standing committee on plant health will discuss emergency measures, in Brussels on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 April, to prevent the spread of the xylella fastidiosa bacterium that has been devastating olive groves in Italy.
The proposal for a decision put by the Commission to the EU experts on Monday afternoon provides for quarantine measures, including the grubbing up of infected olive trees and all plants that could potentially be harbouring the bacterium within 100 metres of every infected tree. The measures would also be applied in a 20-kilometre strip of land in the north of the province of Lecce. It is proposed, too, that a buffer zone, of at least 10 kilometres wide, be created in the provinces of Brindisi and Taranto bordering on the province of Lecce as well as around contamination sites that may yet come to light further north.
Italy feels the proposal on the table is far too draconian. The spokesperson for Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis said that, if a decision were to be taken, it would most likely be on Tuesday 28 April. “This proposal is based on the scientific opinion of the European Food Safety Authority and on other data that we have”, the spokesperson said, arguing that a precautionary approach was required for the transport and movement of plants. “We must avoid the spread of this bacterium by a disease-carrying insect. We have to put in place measures to remove and destroy contaminated plants and precautionary measures around contaminated plants”, he said (our translation). To the north of the affected region, more stringent measures are required to prevent spread to other regions. To the south, given that there is natural protection (the sea), a more targeted approach is proposed, the spokesperson said. The European Parliament will discuss this issue in plenary session on Thursday 30 April. (Lionel Changeur)