Xylella
fastidiosa is a bacterium thought to be behind the devastation
of 74,000 acres of olive groves across southern Italy.
Policy The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has
said plans to destroy up to 11 million olive trees in southern Italy lack
sufficient research, after NGO Peacelink challenged the proposal.
The European Commission had proposed cutting down the
trees to halt the spread of the pathogen Xylella
fastidiosa – but Peacelink urged it to reconsider, saying the measure would
be a great mistake. It claimed that more than 500 olive trees had returned to
health after a treatment for fungi.
Following the NGO’s urging, the Commission asked EFSA
for a scientific opinion on its proposal. “There is no published evidence that
fungal disease management will reduce establishment, spread and impact of X. fastidiosa, other than the
observation that improved orchard management more generally is beneficial for
plant health,
EFSA said in its opinion, in disagreement with
Peacelink’s assessment. However, EFSA shares the concerns over the situation in
olive trees in the affected areas, and fully understands the need for further
research on potential options to reduce the risk and damage caused by X. fastidiosa.
It is the remit of the European and national
authorities – rather than EFSA – to decide on a control strategy, but EFSA
highlighted gaps in knowledge about different agents thought to be involved in
the olive quick decline syndrome, including the leopard moth Zeuzera pyrina, the trachea-mycotic
fungi, as well as Xylella fastidiosa
and the insects that spread it.
Xylella
fastidiosa is a bacterium thought to be behind the devastation
of 74,000 acres of olive groves across southern Italy.
The Commission had
proposed emergency control measures to destroy olive trees in the affected area
– 12% of which are contaminated. No one from Peacelink responded to a request
for comment on EFSA’s opinion prior to publication.
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