Spanish exporters will once again be able to ship fresh peppers to the U.S. market after an almost year-long absence, after authorities deemed the country’s pest management practices were sufficient to keep out incursions of Mediterranean fruit fly.
The U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) implemented the ban on Dec. 30 last year in response to multiple detections of the pest’s larvae on peppers from the European country.
“APHIS and the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) of Spain investigated the probable issues that resulted in these interceptions and identified steps to mitigate pest risk and prevent future interceptions,” APHIS said in an announcement late last week.
“Spain instituted a series of actions which included tightened requirements for growers and packing houses to follow for inclusion in the approved list for export.”
A new manual was established in Spain with production guidelines, along with additional medfly traps for approved greenhouses and improved communication procedures between growers, packhouse operators and state and local officials.
The Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament adopted a resolution presented by Clara Aguilera rejects the amendments that the European Commission intends to introduce controls on imports of citrus from third countries in the current rules of the EU Plant Health.
“It is essential to equip ourselves with effective for the drama of the Xylella fastidiosa, who lives south of Italy, may not play in the citrus groves of Valencia, Andalusia and other EU territories tools,” said Aguilera. “If we have learned that lesson, we can not sit idly by while the EC attempts to relax phytosanitary controls on imported citrus from third countries when your destination industry and not fresh consumption” he added.
The Socialist leader recalled that we are talking about such serious pests such as the Black Spot or Citrus Canker and relax the controls is an unnecessary threat facing some risk of contamination and spread them.
The problem began on Tuesday when a shipment of 20,000 kilograms of cherries was rejected at the Ezeiza airport. According to marketers, Senasa did not communicate this new requirement on time.
There was an alert regarding the grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana) that attacks grapes and not cherries. However, Canada unilaterally decided not to accept shipments of all fruits until they have been treated.
The decision was taken as part of the demands made by the CFIA, Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
The measure generated uncertainty among producers who had begun to ship to that country, as well as to Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.
The shipment belongs to some eight establishments in the region, especially of San Patricio del Chañar and Centenario, which produce high quality cherries that are free of the fruit fly. That’s why Canada’s decision to restrict shipments was surprising.
After the shipments had been rejected, the only solution offered by the Canadian agency was that the fruit undergoes a treatment to eliminate the pest.
New Zealand industry groups have welcomed the launch of a new biosecuity strategy.
Developed by the country’s federal government, the Biosecurity 2025 Direction Statement was unveiled by New Zealand’s minister for primary industries, Nathan Guy, at a biosecurity forum in Auckland yesterday (22 November), with approximately 200 primary industry stakeholders in attendance.
Steve Rich, secretariat manager of the Government Industry Agreement (GIA) for Biosecurity Readiness and Response, said the statement would future-proof New Zealand’s biosecurity system for the years to come.
“GIA’s industry partners strongly support the minister for taking the initiative to refresh New Zealand’s biosecurity strategy,” Rich explained. “They have welcomed the opportunity to take part in the process to develop the B2025 Direction Statement, and are committed to participate in its implementation.”
Riyadh: Saudi authorities have placed a ban on the import of common carp fish from the Czech Republic.
The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture announced the ban based on the alert issued by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) warning against the outbreak of Koi Herpesvirus Disease (KHD).
The ministry has instructed the authorities in charge of the Saudi entry checkpoints to enforce the ban.
| The actions were taken under the National Programme for Prevention Huanglongbing (HLB), in order to maintain the phytosanitary status achieved by Argentina. Controls continue throughout the country. |
The U.S. Grains Council is working with Vietnamese importers of distillers’ dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to end the country’s planned suspension of U.S. shipments of the protein-rich animal feed, according to a letter sent to council members and seen by Reuters on Thursday. The U.S. Grains Council is working with Vietnamese importers of distillers’ dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to end the country’s planned suspension of U.S. shipments of the protein-rich animal feed, according to a letter sent to council members and seen by Reuters on Thursday. Vietnam on Monday said it would suspend all imports of U.S. DDGS from mid-December due to contamination with the Ballion variety of beetle, according to a Vietnamese government directive also seen by Reuters. Media in the Southeast Asian nation reported the step earlier this week. The loss of Vietnamese imports would be a big hit for U.S. DDGS suppliers as the country is one of the fastest growing feed grain markets in the world,
HÀ NỘI – Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Lê Quốc Doanh signed a decision on Monday to stop all imports of distillers’ dried grains from the United States and peanuts from Sudan and Hong Kong.
The current legislation suspending imports of certain products from Ghana expires at the end of 2016. An EU audit took place in September 2016 which has shown that there are still significant shortcomings in the export system in Ghana and in addition EU member states (including the UK) are continuing to intercept harmful organisms on Ghanaian material. As a result it is likely that this legislation will be extended for a further period (possibly a year, but to be decided). This applies to imports of plant material (other than seeds) of:
Following months of deliberation, the European Union has decided that the North American lobster is not an invasive species and will not be banned, reports the Press Herald.
Sweden had been pressing for the ban after discovering North American lobsters off its coast, and had convinced the forum of EU scientists who study alien species to pursue the listing one month ago.
The EU’s Committee on Invasive Alien Species, however, made the final decision that it would not list the species for technical reasons, but said that it may explore other measures in the future to protect the European lobster that would be less disruptive to trade.
The US lobster industry said the decision had saved a $200 million-a-year export business.
In August, Canada’s Lobster Council joined in the call to block Sweden’s ban.
In September several US lawmakers from the lobster exporting states of Massachusetts and Maine sent a letter to the EU urging the scientific community to scrutinize the science involved.