UK witch hazel plants pose disease risks to EU, regulators warn
European food safety officials have identified two dangerous plant pathogens in UK-grown witch hazel (Hamamelis mollis) that could threaten EU agriculture if imports continue unchecked. The findings trigger new import protocols and signal how post-Brexit plant trade now requires separate health assessments, affecting nurseries and ornamental plant suppliers across Europe.
Originaltitel: Commodity risk assessment of Hamamelis mollis plants from the UK
The European Commission requested the EFSA Panel on Plant Health to prepare and deliver risk assessments for commodities listed in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 as 'High risk plants, plant products and other objects'. This Scientific Opinion covers plant health risks posed by rooted plants in pots of Hamamelis mollis imported from the United Kingdom (UK). The assessment was performed considering the available scientific information, including the technical information provided by the UK. All pests associated with the commodities were evaluated against specific criteria. Two EU regulated pests (Phytophthora ramorum non-EU isolates and Scirtothrips dorsalis), present in the UK and potentially associated with the commodity, were considered as relevant for this Opinion. No pests non-regulated in the EU were identified to be selected for further evaluation.