EU identifies five plant pests threatening UK honeysuckle imports
European regulators have flagged five quarantine pests that could hitch rides on honeysuckle plants shipped from the UK, including a virus and soil-dwelling nematodes. The findings will likely shape import rules and compliance requirements for UK plant exporters serving EU markets.
Originaltitel: Commodity risk assessment of Lonicera ligustrina var. pileata, Lonicera ligustrina var. yunnanensis and Lonicera periclymenum 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 (a) rooted plants in pots and (b) bare root plants and whips of Lonicera ligustrina var. pileata, L. ligustrina var. yunnanensis and Lonicera periclymenum from the United Kingdom (UK). The assessment was performed considering the available scientific information, including the technical information provided by the UK. All pests potentially associated with the commodities were evaluated against specific criteria. Five EU-quarantine pests [honeysuckle yellow vein virus (HYVV, Begomovirus macrotylomae), Bemisia tabaci, Meloidogyne fallax, Phytophthora ramorum and Scirtothrips dorsalis], present in the UK and which could be associated with the commodity, were considered relevant for this Opinion. No pests non-regulated in the EU were identified to be selected for further evaluation.