European Commission published report on controlling Pine Wood Nematode in Portugal and Spain

Date:07-19-2016

The European Commission publishes a Report of a Task force on the control of Pine Wood Nematode (PWN) in Portugal and Spain and proposes recommendations which provide technical support to the two Member States. The recommendations are based on expertise of experts designated by Member States and new scientific knowledge made available since the adoption of EU emergency measures (Decision 2012/535/EU), in particular the EU-funded research projects REPHRAME. They do not constitute a legal or binding standard and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Commission Services or the Commission.

Following the discovery of the Pine Wood Nematode (PWN - Bursaphelenchus Xylophilus) in 1999 in Portugal, its consequent spread to Spain in 2008, as well as critical situation on the ground and the serious risk of further spread into the rest of the EU, a Task Force coordinated by the European Commission was set up in autumn of 2014 geared at supporting the two countries in controlling the pest. Between November 2014 and October 2015, the Task Force held two meetings in Brussels and undertook four missions (three in Portugal and one to Spain). This enabled to review the Portuguese and Spanish control strategies and identify opportunities for improvement in order to achieve the goal of effective containment of PWN in Portugal and effective eradication in Spain.

The PWN is a microscopic worm native to North America, and causes the wilting and death of pines. It is spread by an insect vector (Monochamus sp.) which is present in the EU. The further spread of the disease beyond the borders of the contained regions of Portugal and Spain would cause significant damage to the pine forests, and would have serious economic impacts on the EU export trade of coniferous wood.

The report is available at: http://ec.europa.eu/food/plant/docs/ph_biosec_legis_em-measures_pwn-task-force_en.pdf