Spain: AVA demands stricter phytosanitary controls for third countries

During his speech before the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament (EP), the president of the Valencian Growers Association (AVA-ASAJA), Cristóbal Aguado, asked for the implementation of measures to tighten phytosanitary controls on agricultural imports from third countries. The situation is particularly alarming in view of the latest official data from Brussels. The Official Journal of the EU of 16 December 2014, in a section relating to expenditure to tackle the presence of harmful organisms in plant products, shows that between 2009 and 2013 at least eight pathogens entered Europe, which means that a new pest entered every seven months. However, the magnitude of the problem is even more troubling, because the publication does not take into account other pests, like the Cotonet de les Valls, yellow aphid or Texas mite.

The president of AVA ASAJA, Cristóbal Aguado, at the European Parliament

"We are not talking of suspicions or intuitions, but unacceptable realities, which show that controls at the ports of entry are ineffective, and this has become a time bomb for our agriculture that can explode at any time," complained Aguado before MEPs.

Therefore, he demanded the new plant health directive that the European Commission is preparing to include inspections in countries of origin, just like other prestigious countries, like the U.S., Japan or South Korea already do, and to create a "whitelist"; a mechanism applying to potatoes and the livestock sector, which establishes that countries seeking to export these products to Europe must be able to guarantee that their shipments are in optimal condition. The countries not included in this whitelist will not be allowed to export to the European markets.

Warning about the threat of arrival of citrus greening vector

Cristóbal Aguado also mentioned the high risk involved in the possible arrival to the EU of the citrus greening vector (Psila africana), as it is one of the most lethal diseases for this crop worldwide. The head of the agricultural organisation urged the European Parliament to set a specific budget to cover all preventive measures and treatments needed to eradicate the presence of the insect in Spain and Portugal.

Aguado also stressed the multiple CBS interceptions of citrus imports from South Africa. "While the average of 35 interceptions per year since 2010 is unacceptable, even more so is the condescending and contemplative attitude from the Commission given a problem of this magnitude, especially when last year it pledged to take decisive action if more than five interceptions were registered."

Below chart in Spanish: