The European Union has allocated 7.5 million Euro to co-finance programs with the aim of studying plant pests throughout 2015. The funds will be distributed to Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany Greece, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden, i.e. the Member States that have requested such assistance from the Union.
This initiative will help producers know where there are pests, focusing on citrus pests, the pests of deciduous trees, and potato pests (bacterial ring rot or brown rot). It will also adopt temporary measures for pests in the EU such as the pinewood nematode, red palm weevil, etc.
The surveys performed will provide information about specific health risks, such as new pests, and risk data associated with specific types of imports.
Earlier this year (November 13), the EU distributed 5.7 million Euro in emergency measures against plant pests. These funds are aimed at important pests, such as the three isolated outbreaks of PWN in Spain, some cases of Anoplophora glabripennis (Asian longhorned beetle) in Austria, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, or the recent outbreak of Xylella fastidiosa (leaf scorch) in olive plants and other plants in Italy.
Source: Agrodigital