Italian government urged to take action to fight against olive tree epidemic

The president of the Apulia Region, Nichi Vendola, sent an official letter on December 3 to Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, to request a joint meeting with the director of the Civil Protection, Franco Gabrielli, and the Minister of Agriculture, Maurizio Martina to take stock of Xylella fastidiosa epidemic infects olive trees that has been scourging the Salento county, the southern part of the region, for one year.

 

Recently found for the first time on EU territories, the strain of Xylella fastidiosa identified in Italy (province of Lecce, in the Apulia region) attacks mainly olive trees, which show leaf scorching, branch desiccation and quick decline symptoms, leading in the most severe cases to the death of the trees. Olive cultivation is widespread throughout the Mediterranean region and is vital for the rural economy, local heritage and the environment.

 

Vendola’s letter follows an inspection that EU commissioners completed on November 25 on the infestation to verify the implementation of EU measures to combat the epidemic, including the creation of a “phytosanitary cordon” — a belt of territory isolating the infested area (now limited to Salento county) — as well as the elimination of the infected trees by cutting down, uprooting and destructing them.

 

Investigators have also collected information about the strain of Xylella fastidiosa infesting Salento, called “CoDiRo,” and the critical aspects of its transmission to define the best methods to manage the outbreak. Finally, they have highlighted the importance of monitoring the transport of plants that could spread the infection to healthy areas.

 

Vendola requested a commissioner with special powers appointed to accelerate the implementation of the mandatory phytosanitary measures required by the EU. Since the measures need to be performed on both public and private areas, they should be implemented, Vendola said, by waiving public procurement procedures as well as environmental impact assessment procedures, and coercively as necessary.
 

Vendola said: “A close coordination of our Region, Ministry of Agriculture and Civil Protection is necessary to control and punish the defaulters as just a full and fast implementation of the phytosanitary measures can prevent a quick spread of bacterial infection in other Italian regions.”
 

According to the previous report, more than eight months after deadly bacteria has threatened olive crops in Italy, and olive prices worldwide, the Italian Ministry of Agriculture (MIPAAF) has announced a monitoring plan to battle Xylella fastidiosa, the plant-killing microbes that have infected over 74,000 acres of olive trees in the region of Puglia.
 

The origin of the bacteria remains unknown, but according to Rolando Manfredini, an expert with an Italian farmers’ lobby group, Xylella fastidiosa likely came from imported plants such as oleander.
 

According to Antonio Guario, a health official with the regional government, Italy currently exports 480,000 tonnes of olive oil annually, making it the world’s second-largest exporter after Spain.
 

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has reported there is “no record of successful eradication of X. fastidiosa once established outdoors due the broad host range of the pathogen and its vectors.”