Great Britain introduces new Xylella measures for March 2021

The UK’s Chief Plant Health Officer, Professor Nicola Spence, released a statement on the 15th of February 2021, stating that new Xylella measures are to come into force on the 4th of March 2021. The new Xylella measures effectively amend the current Phytosanitary Controls Regulation (Commission Implementing Regulation 2019/2072), in order to address any risk and prevent the further spread of Xylella infections in Great Britain.

The proposed measures will apply nationwide and will be tailored to the current risks experienced, as well as the desired level of protection for UK’s plant health, with the objective to improve UK’s biosecurity.

Click here to access the full statement from Professor Nicola Spence (Chief Plant Health Officer for the UK).

Great Britain’s stricter new Xylella measures

The new Xylella measures which are to come into effect in March 2021 are based on the latest updates within the Pest Risk Analysis. According to a Press Release from the UK’s Department of Environment Food & Rural Affairs, the changes made to the existing measures on Xylella fastidiosa will now:

”Only allow imports of Coffea (coffee) and Polygala from countries where Xylella is known not to occur.” Source: (DEFRA, 2021)

”Introduce more stringent requirements for the import of Lavendula sp. (lavender), Nerium oleander, Olea europaea (olive), Prunus dulcis (almond), and Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) from countries where Xylella is known to occur. We will allow imports under certain conditions including inspections of the place of production and the surrounding area, testing, pre-export inspections and a one-year quarantine period prior to import” Source: (DEFRA, 2021)

Click here to access the copy of the full regulations which will come into effect on March 4th 2021.

Impact of new Xylella measures

So, what is the overall impact of the new Xylella measures which will come into effect in March 2021? They will:

reduce UK’s biosecurity risks posed by Xylella
prevent the potential spread of Xylella in the UK from imported plants
protect UK’s overall plant health and agriculture
prevent the pathogen from spreading further

These are just a few of the positive impacts of the new Xylella measures. However, not everyone is happy about the new rules coming into effect soon.

One of the main concerns from the impacted stakeholders is that the information was shared in too little time. The new measures have not been disseminated with sufficient time for some stakeholders to implement new processes or adapt to the new conditions.

For instance, the regulation has impact on the international supply chain of plant imports (such as lavender, rosemary and other decorative plants as well). This could cause a series of inefficiencies and could even trigger job loss.

Above all, a shortage of young plants is expected in the UK once the regulation comes into effect in March 2021.

Are you impacted by the new regulation? Please let us know in the comments below and tell us if you are in favour or in opposition of the new Xylella measures.

Latest news on Xylella fastidiosa

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to read about the latest news on Xylella fastidiosa, new Xylella measures /legislation and industry insights. Start by reading the following articles below:

For a more comprehensive overview of the latest 2020 events around the topic of Xylella fastidiosa, check out this video below.