ENA:Xyella fastidiosa

The European Nurserystock Association (ENA) is aware of the findings in Europe of plants infected by the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa and legal measures adopted by the European Commission and some member states.

ENA’s General Assembly, meeting in Sweden in June, decided to keep European nurseries updated about this disease and other plant health threats considering that plant health is the most important asset the nurseries have, overall and also individually as a nursery.

ENA is strongly in favor of the robust measures adopted by the EC to avoid the import of infected plants into the European countries, and would like to advise those countries not members of the European Union to adopt them as well. ENA also encourages the EU to adopt any reasonable and proportionate measure to prevent the spread of this disease within the EU but, at the same time, we are against any additional measure implemented by EU Member States preventing the free circulation of goods within the EU without strong scientific evidence.

ENA has also a great concern on the spread of other pests and diseases in several countries: the polyphagous pests of many ornamental tree species Anoplophora glabripennis and Anoplophora chinensis, the fungus Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus (Chalara fraxinea) disease of Fraxinus, the new fungus disease caused by Phytophthora lateralis on Chamaecyparis, the threat of emerald ash borer Agrilus planipennis, the bacteria Erwinia amylovora in new European countries and regions and the fungal disease caused by Cryphonectria parasitica on Castanea sativa.

As the spread of quarantine diseases is a great risk and danger for both the environmental and agricultural systems in all European countries, ENA demands from the EU significant high funding that will allow 1) rapid reaction against the first detections including compensation for owners if eradication measures must be taken and 2) start or enhance R&D projects to prevent and fight against those pests and diseases.

While we are confident that European nurseries are working at a high plant health standards and according to the regulations, we’d like to note that we have less and less Plant Protection Products available, the medicines for plants, and that keeps live plant nurseries (minor non-edible crops) without tools to fight against harmful organisms or their vectors. We agree increasing control is necessary to ensure plant health but we would also ask the EU authorities to quickly and easily have Plant Protection Products registered in European countries for non-edible minor crops like nurseries; live plants are considered a major pathway to spread pests and diseases but, at the same time, have very low availability of authorized Plant Protection Products.

Although ENA is not against the imports of plants from third countries, we consider that the entry of large numbers of plants for commercial purposes in the EU significantly increases the risk of introducing serious pests and diseases. EC should ensure that all Member States work to the same plant health standards. There is a concern that if just one Member State has a weak policing of its import controls then that country will simply become the one through which harmful organisms could be imported. In order to avoid unfair concurrence of imports from third countries and to achieve reciprocity in trade relations, it is necessary to establish the reverse strategy in Community phytosanitary policy, harmonizing and enhancing import controls.

We believe the nurseries in the European areas affected by Xylella fastidiosa are the most interested in eradicating it, they are already implementing the measures agreed by the EU and to have success fighting against this disease is absolutely necessary to increase the economic contribution of all authorities involved.

Finally ENA asks European politicians at all levels to not use pests and diseases as a political tool but to make policies to avoid the spread of pests and diseases and commit to helping those affected by them.