Brussels, 11/07/2016 (Agence Europe) - France, which has detected outbreaks of Xylella fastidiosa in Corsica and in the south of the country, should improve its efforts to prevent the spread of this bacterium that has killed olive trees in Apulia, Italy, said the EU Food and Veterinary office (FVO) in a report published on 4 July (EUROPE 11569).
Sampling and testing of specified plants within a radius of 100 metres around the plants confirmed to be infected with the Xylella fastidiosa bacterium are also not in line with Decision 2015/789 on measures against the bacterium, says Directorate General Health and Food Safety of the European Commission.
The aim of the audit, carried out in France between 3 and 12 February 2016, was to evaluate the plant health situation and control measures applied for Xylella fastidiosa in the two regions of France where outbreaks had been recorded. In 2015 France carried out a comprehensive and risk-based Xylella fastidiosa survey at country level and ran an intensified awareness raising campaign. The high level of alert and awareness promoted by the French authorities ensured the prompt finding and identification of the outbreaks.
The FVO says that measures were implemented quickly within and outside the demarcated areas. Additional human and financial resources were mobilised, a network for large-scale sampling and laboratory testing was established and the relevant stakeholders were sufficiently informed and involved, the experts state.
The demarcation, insect vector treatment, removal and destruction of host and symptomatic plants within the 100 metre radius around the infected plants were carried out fully in line with the provisions of Commission Decision 2015/789/EU, the report says. It notes, however, that the intensity of the surveys carried out within the buffer zones is significantly lower than that required by the decision. “This does not allow the accurate determination of the spread of Xylella fastidiosa.” In the case of outbreaks where the eradication work was completed, the sites were not revisited to remove newly identified host plants which could be infected, the FVO states. Nurseries located in demarcated areas are allowed to move specified plants outside those areas without fulfilling all requirements of the decision. “It increases the risk of the movement of the pathogen to new areas”, the FVO notes.
The auditors acknowledge that France has taken a number of measures showing its commitment to eradicating Xylella fastidiosa. However, “the non-compliances detected reduce the efficiency and effectiveness of the eradication efforts”. The risk of spread with human assistance is mitigated to some extent by the fact that all outbreaks of Xylella fastidiosa to date have been recorded in areas with no large-scale production of plants for planting of the major hosts.
The FVO says that eradication efforts are further compromised by the high number of outbreaks and level of spread, particularly in Corsica. “This is compounded by the multitude of identified host plants, the inaccessibility of risky areas and by uncertainties about hosts and the mode of transmission”, concluded the Commission experts. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)