New EU Regulations
Emergency measures against Tomato brown rugose fruit virus
The EU Commission has established emergency measures to prevent the introduction into, and the spread within the EU of Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (Tobamovirus, ToBRFV- EPPO Alert List). This Decision will apply from 1 November 2019 until 31 March 2022 (EU, 2019a).
List of priority pests
The EU recently published a list of 20 priority pests (as defined in Article 6(2) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031). For these specific pests, EU Member States will have to adopt enhanced provisions: information campaigns to the public if the pests are present in their territory, implement annual surveys, prepare contingency plans, simulation exercises and action plans for eradication. The priority pests are as follows: Agrilus anxius, Agrilus planipennis, Anastrepha ludens, Anoplophora chinensis, Anoplophora glabripennis, Anthonomus eugenii, Aromia bungii, Bactericera cockerelli, Bactrocera dorsalis, Bactrocera zonata, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, Candidatus Liberibacter spp. causal agents of Huanglongbing disease of citrus/citrus greening, Conotrachelus nenuphar, Dendrolimus sibiricus, Phyllosticta citricarpa, Popillia japonica, Rhagoletis pomonella, Spodoptera frugiperda, Thaumatotibia leucotreta, Xylella fastidiosa (EU, 2019b).
Other Implementing Regulations
Other Implementing Regulations were published earlier in 2019 and will apply from 14 December 2019:
- All plants (including living parts of plants) will need to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate to enter into the EU, unless they are listed in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019.
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 establishes the list of high risk plants, the introduction of these plants into the EU territory will be provisionally prohibited from 14 December 2019 until a full risk assessment has been carried out.
Sources
EU (2016) Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 of the European Parliament of the Council of 26 October 2016 on protective measures against pests of plants, amending Regulations (EU) No 228/2013, (EU) No 652/2014 and (EU) No 1143/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Directives 69/464/EEC, 74/647/EEC, 93/85/EEC, 98/57/EC, 2000/29/EC, 2006/91/EC and 2007/33/EC. http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/2031/oj
EU (2018) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 of 18 December 2018 establishing a provisional list of high risk plants, plant products or other objects, within the meaning of Article 42 of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 and a list of plants for which phytosanitary certificates are not required for introduction into the Union, within the meaning of Article 73 of that Regulation. OJ L 323, 10–15, http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2018/2019/oj
EU (2019a) Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/1615 of 26 September 2019 establishing emergency measures to prevent the introduction into and the spread within the Union of Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV). OJ L 250, 91-94, http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2019/1615/oj
EU (2019b) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/1702 of 1 August 2019 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 of the European Parliament and of the Council by establishing the list of priority pests. OJ L 260, 8–10, http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2019/1702/oj
New EU plant health rules: https://ec.europa.eu/food/plant/plant_health_biosecurity/legislation/new_eu_rules_en