Plant health: Twenty ‘priority pests’ published
The European Commission has published a list of 20 ‘priority pests’ that it deems pose the most serious economic, environmental and social threat to Member States.
The list is ranked in order of most severe according to assessments conducted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). Member States will now be required to launch information campaigns to the public, as well as annual surveys and prepare action plans in an effort to eradicate all 20 offenders.
Per the new methodology, it is estimated that the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, could cause annual losses of €5.5bn by affecting 70% of the EU production value of older olive trees and 35% value of younger ones.
The Asian long-horned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) also poses a threat. If this beetle spreads across the entire EU, it could result in the direct loss of over 5% of the overall growing stock of several EU forestry tree species. This include alder, ash, beech, birch, elm, and maple. The economic impact on the upstream forestry sector could reach as much as €50m.
Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis, who heads up Health and Food Safety, welcomed the list’s adoption. “Plant health has been high on the agenda of my mandate over the past five years. This is why I am particularly glad to count in my legacy this prioritisation that will help the EU and Member States to increase preparedness and early actions against very dangerous plant pests and contribute to the European green deal, protecting our biodiversity, the natural ecosystems and the EU agriculture.”
The full list of pests can be found here.
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