In Strasbourg, on Thursday 15 December, the European Parliament called for planned measures to be toughened to prevent new plant pests which attack citrus trees and fruit from entering the EU.
In adopting a resolution tabled by the Parliament’s own agriculture committee (by 463 votes to 168, with 3 abstentions), MEPs called on the Commission to amend its implementing act (directive) on protective measures against the introduction of organisms harmful to plants or plant products and against their spread within the Community.
MEPs want more stringent rules and checks to prevent the spread of pests such as citrus black spot fungus and the false codling moth.
More checks. To prevent citrus black spot, MEPs say the rules should require proof that a sample of at least 600 fruits per 30 tonnes was checked before packaging and that fruit showing any symptoms of the disease was properly tested. A similar visual examination of a sample consisting of at least 200 fruits per 30 tonnes should take place at the entry point into the EU, they say.
Cold treatment. Citrus fruit that could carry false codling moth larvae should undergo cold treatment (24 days in 0.55ºC with 3 days precooling) or similar equally effective and sustainable treatment before being imported into the EU, MEPs say. They also call for measures to improve the traceability of imported citrus fruits.
“It is crucial to have proper rules in force to avoid a Xylella-like drama in EU areas producing citruses. We cannot apply a wait-and-see approach, nor can we stand idly by when the EU Commission is not doing enough to protect us from diseases such as citrus black spot and citrus canker”, said Clara Eugenia Aguilera Garcia (S&D, Spain) who led the initiative to toughen the Commission’s draft measures. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)