To help protect EU Member States against the introduction of Xylella fastidiosa, EU emergency legislation has been introduced, which includes requirements to protect against introductions from non-EU countries, as well as from those parts of the EU where it is has been detected. New requirements for imports of non-EU plants have been introduced and movements of ‘specified plants’ (which includes the confirmed hosts of Xylella fastidiosa in the EU and further afield) are only possible from areas in the EU where the pathogen is present if stringent conditions are met. The Plant Health Authorities in the UK and elsewhere are also carrying out surveillance for the pathogen.
The EU Plant Health Standing Committee has recently updated the emergency measures against this pathogen, to reflect the evolving situation in Italy and France, and to improve preparedness within the EU more generally.
EU Decision 2015/789 from May 2015 regarding measures to prevent the introduction into and the spread within the Union of Xylella fastidiosa has been amended by Decision 2015/2417 which came into force on 19 December 2015.
For further information, see the following documents:
Ban on importing some plant products originating in Ghana
Plant health checks carried out by the EU Member States on some plant products originating in Ghana have found that many of these consignments are infested with harmful organisms. These are mainly fruit flies, thrips and non-indigenous white flies.
Due to these findings and concerns about current phytosanitary safeguards in Ghana, the EU has imposed a ban on the following types of plant material (other than seeds) originating in Ghana:
- Capsicum (sweet and Chili peppers)
- Lagenaria (bottle gourd)
- Luffa
- Momordica L (bitter gourd)
- Solanum L. (including aubergines), other than S. lycopersicum L (tomato)
Imports of this plant material are banned until 31 December 2016. Where import checks identify this material it will be detained until it is destroyed or re-exported at the importer’s expense.
See the EU Decision 2015/1849 for further information on the ban
Restrictions on trade to the Russian Federation
In August 2014 the Russian Federation introduced a ban on the import of some agricultural commodities from the whole of the EU including the UK. This includes fruit and vegetables.
The Russian Federation has extended this ban until August 2016.
If you are exporting products to the Russian Federation from the UK, which were originally from outside the EU, you are advised to request a phytosanitary certificate from the original country’s plant health authority before exporting the consignment to the EU - even if your product does not need a certificate to enter the EU.
The certificate can then accompany your consignment, with any other documents, to prove the origin of the products.
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