In a report published on Monday 25 February, EU experts estimated that gaps in US controls mean that there is a “phytosanitary risk if plants susceptible to Xylella fastidiosa”, the olive killer bacteria, are imported into the EU.
This audit by the EU Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) was carried out to assess the US system of controls for the export of seeds and plants into the EU.
Specific attention was paid to the implementation of EU import requirements for plants that are sensitive to Xylella fastidiosa.
EU experts concluded that those practices developed by individual US states do not always ensure that EU plant import requirements are being met. The EU cannot exclude the presence of certain harmful organisms at the place of production, according to experts.
The control system in the United States does not always ensure that EU requirements for the import of plants known to be sensitive to the bacterium are met, adds the FVO. They also outline issues concerning: - investigations to ensure that Xylella’s free status is maintained; - methods for testing for the presence of the bacterium in consignments intended for export.
Under these conditions, the “non-conformities” mean that there is a phytosanitary risk in the event of plants susceptible to Xylella fastidiosa being imported. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)