Environment secretary says EU must combat spread of Xylella fastidiosa by stopping high-risk species from crossing borders unchecked

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Europe must implement greater protections against a disease that could threaten UK plants and trees, including oaks, the environment secretary Michael Gove has said.

The horticulture sector is also being urged to take action to prevent Xylella fastidiosa, which is having a devastating impact on plants such as olive trees in parts of mainland Europe, spreading to the UK.

Gove wants the European commission to take stronger action to halt the spread of the disease, including more checks on high-risk plants as they are moved between countries.

If the EU does not take action, the UK could take steps to stop the arrival of Xylella in this country, including suspending imports of plants that carry the disease such as rosemary, lavender, olives, oleander and almond trees.

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The disease has not yet reached the UK but if it did, the impact would be significant for the horticulture sector due to the restrictions that would need to be introduced, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.

While it is difficult to predict which UK plants could be vulnerable to infection, experts are most concerned about a subspecies of Xylella which can survive in cooler climates and affect a wide range of hosts, including broadleaf trees such as oaks.

In a letter to the EU commissioner for health and food safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, Gove said preventing further spread of Xylella was of “paramount importance” and welcomed the introduction of emergency legislation and a review into the issue.

Gove added: “I am very concerned about the increase in findings in the EU, most recently in mainland Spain, which raises serious questions about the robustness of the EU’s present arrangements and the wisdom of allowing high-risk species to move across borders unchecked.

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“With the ongoing risk of infected plants being moved to new areas, it is vital we move swiftly to strengthen our protection, including through increased testing and setting higher biosecurity standards for production.”

If the appropriate level of protection is not forthcoming from the EU’s review, the UK could introduce enhanced import requirements for plants from other EU countries, or a suspension of imports of high-risk species, Gove said.

In a letter to the horticulture sector, the government’s chief plant health officer Nicola Spence urged all plant importers and traders to follow the lead of those who have committed not to bring in any host plants from EU counties or regions where Xylella is present.

She also called on companies to make careful decisions on sourcing plants and review their on-site measures to reduce the risk of disease introduction and spread.