Yesterday, the peach-nectarine-apricot contact group analyzed, agreed upon, and released a report on the health and phytosanitary problems in stone fruit crops. The report describes the main pests and diseases in this sector and reiterates the difficulty that professionals in the four countries that make up the group - France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal - have in tackling these pests.
The report highlights the differences in the availability of plant protection products between the four countries, a problem that must be solved, according to FEPEX, so that there are no Member States that have fewer plant protection resources than others. It also highlights the need for Community producers to have sufficient and effective phytosanitary means to cope with growing pests and diseases.
The Spanish-French-Italian-Portuguese peach-nectarine-apricot contact group met online and agreed, among other things, to disseminate the report to the Community authorities so that they could take measures. They also agreed to request the European Commission to curb the distortion of competition with third countries that is taking place in the field of plant health so that these countries also adopt the regulations that Community producers must comply with.
The Spanish-French-Italian Portuguese contact group for garlic, which met on April 28, as well as the strawberry group, which met on May 9, also noted the reduction of the means to combat pests in the different crops. According to FEPEX and the integrated associations that have participated in these groups, "there are more and more pests and fewer phytosanitary resources to combat them. We need urgent action to face this problem that threatens the viability of the farms."
Yesterday, the Spanish-French-Italian-Portuguese peach-nectarine-apricot contact group also addressed the consequences of the frosts on European production. The group reiterated that there had been serious damage in Spain, in particular in Aragon and Catalonia, but that the damage in France, Italy, and Greece had not been high and that they expected an increase in production.
Source: fepex.es