EUROPEAN COMMISSION HEALTH & CONSUMER PROTECTION DIRECTORATE-GENERAL

Directorate F - Food and Veterinary Office

DG(SANCO)/7087/2004– MR

REPORT

OF A PLANT HEALTH FOLLOW-UP MISSION

IN

FROM 26/01/2004 TO 30/01/2004

REGARDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CERTAIN EU POTATO LEGISLATION

28/09/04 - 15161

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION...... 3

2. OBJECTIVES OF THE MISSION ...... 3

3. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE MISSION...... 4

4. BACKGROUND...... 4 4.1. Previous missions ...... 4 4.2. Background to present mission ...... 4 5. MAIN FINDINGS...... 5 5.1. Legislation and documentation...... 5 5.2. Control of potato ring rot () ...... 5 5.3. Control of Ralstonia solanacearum (Kalavryta) ...... 6 5.4. Labelling of ware potatoes ...... 7 6. CONCLUSIONS...... 8

7. CLOSING MEETING...... 8

8. RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 8

9. ADDENDUM...... 10

Abbreviations & special terms used In the report

EU European Union FVO Food and Veterinary Office

2 1. INTRODUCTION

The mission took place in Greece from 26/01/2004 to 30/01/2004. The mission team comprised three inspectors from the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) and was accompanied throughout the mission by representatives from the Greek Plant Health Service.

The mission was undertaken as part of the FVO planned mission programme and in connection with mission no. DG(SANCO)/7081/2004 carried out to evaluate the implementation of the plant passport system.

An opening meeting was held on 26 January 2004 at the Ministry of Agriculture in Athens with representatives from the Department of Phytosanitary Control. During this meeting, the inspection team confirmed the objectives and itinerary for the mission.

This mission report addresses only selected topics, identified in previous missions as potential problem areas. More comprehensive descriptions of the plant health control systems are given in the reports of previous missions (see 4.1 below) and the above mentioned mission no. DG(SANCO)/7081/2004 and not repeated here.

2. OBJECTIVES OF THE MISSION

The objective of the mission was to verify the progress made since March 2000 in the Greek implementation of

• the control directives for potato ring rot (Clavibacter michiganensis ssp. sepedonicus)1 and potato brown rot (Ralstonia solanacearum)2

• the labelling requirements for ware potatoes3

In pursuit of these objectives, the following sites were visited:

Competent authorities Comments/authorities and persons met Department of Phytosanitary Control, HQ 1 Regional office 1 Field Visits Potato farmer 1 Kalavryta area Wholesale markets 2 Athens and Patras

1 Council Directive 93/85/EEC of 4 October 1993 on the control of potato ring rot, OJ L 259, 18.10.1993, p.01 2 Council Directive 98/57/EC of 20 July 1998 on the control of Ralstonia solanacearum (Smith) Yabuuchi et al., OJ L 235, 21.08.1998, p.01 3 Annex IV, part A, section II, point 18.5 of Council Directive 2000/29/EC of 8 May 2000 on protective measures against the introduction into the Community of organisms harmful to plants or plant products and against their spread within the Community, OJ L 169, 10.07.2000, p.01 (as amended). 3 3. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE MISSION

The mission was carried out under the provisions of Article 21 of Council Directive 2000/29/EC.

4. BACKGROUND

4.1. Previous missions

Two missions were carried out in 1998 to monitor the control of potato ring rot and R. solanacearum (report nos. XXIV/1328/98 and XXIV/1306/98 – not published). A further mission was undertaken in March 2000 to audit the plant health controls in the potato sector (report no. DG(SANCO)/1015/2000 – published on the Internet4).

4.2. Background to present mission

The above-mentioned missions revealed serious problems with implementing the EU legislation, especially with regards to the control of potato ring rot (Crete) and the labelling of ware potatoes. Consequently, the following recommendations for addressing this were made in the March 2000 report:

“It is recommended to the competent authorities of Greece to:

– Implement in Crete all measures required by the Council Directive 93/85/EEC.

– With the experience from Crete in mind, draw up contingency plans for such outbreaks. They should contain methods to communicate the measures required by the respective legal texts to the farmers. Since agriculture in Greece in many places is small scale and resource poor, additional complementary action (possibly including financial measures) by the stakeholders in the potato sector should be part of the contingency plans

– Enforce the labelling of ware potatoes as required by the Council Directive 77/93/EEC.”

The Commission has been in dialogue with Greece since then for the implementation of these recommendations.

Furthermore, in 2001, there were outbreaks of R. solanacearum in a number of villages in Peloponessos, with reoccurrences in 2002 and 2003, indicating problems also with the efficient control of this pathogen.

4 http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/inspections/pi/reports/greece/pi_rep_gree_1015-2000_en.pdf

4 5. MAIN FINDINGS

5.1. Legislation and documentation

Council Directive 93/85/EEC (excluding the test method) was transposed by a ministerial decree and published in the Greek Government Gazette, Vol 2, No. 743, 4 October 1994. Council Directive 98/57/EC, the transposition of which was still outstanding at the time of the previous mission, has since been transposed by presidential decree no. 255 and published in the Greek Government Gazette, Vol 1, No. 214, 6 October 2000. Copies of this legislation were given to the mission team. The transposition appears complete and correct.

There is neither a national manual nor a contingency plan, which “translates” the legislation into practical activities, which the regional/local officers will have to undertake in cases of outbreaks.

5.2. Control of potato ring rot (Crete)

The mission team did not visit Crete during the mission, but was informed by the Department of Phytosanitary Control in Athens that the situation remains largely unchanged in the main outbreak area of the island, the plateau. The cooperation from farmers there is still inadequate for implementing the key aspects of the control directive and bringing the contamination towards eradication. A report of 26 January 2004 from the regional authorities in Heraklion, Crete thus states that “during 2003 fewer samples were taken [..] than in the past from the Lasithi Plateau. This was due to the producers’ refusal to cooperate in sample-taking...” The emergency measure, very unpopular amongst the Lasithi farmers, banning potatoes from being moved out of Crete therefore remains in force.

Table 5.1 Number of potato samples from Crete analysed for ring rot 1998-2003

Lasithi Messara Mallia Harvest No. of % No. of % No. of % year samples positives samples positives samples positives 1998 778 28 35 14 116 9 1999 278 51 38 26 70 27 2000 525 22 31 25 70 0 2001 406 9 71 7 76 0 2002 242 19 51 4 63 0 2003 38 5 39 0 52 0

In one of the other two main potato-growing areas in Crete, Mallia, there have been no outbreaks since 1999. The authorities believe that the farmers there, who are more resourceful than those on the Lasithi Plateau, have been able to clear their production from contamination especially through respecting the recommendations for renewal of seed and crop rotation. In

5 2002, an exception from the “export” ban on Crete was consequently granted for the Mallia area. In the third main potato growing area of Crete, Messara, the incidence of ring rot has similarly been drastically reduced over the last 4 years with no outbreaks found in 2003. Consequently, the authorities consider granting an exception to the export ban for this area also. Table 5.1, above shows the number of samples taken in the monitoring programme and the incidence of contamination.

5.3. Control of Ralstonia solanacearum (Kalavryta)

The Kalavryta is a remote and mountainous area in Peloponessos and the agriculture is based on cattle. Potato growing is small scale only, using uncertified seed and low technology production methods. Some irrigation takes place using water either from wells or from small local rivers. Potatoes are usually grown in rotation with cereals or alfalfa.

R. solanacearum was first discovered in the area in 2001 and the outbreaks have since been handled by inspectors from the regional plant health service in Patras. The bacterium was first found in tomatoes, with 3 farms designated as contaminated. The surveying was expanded and contamination was eventually found also in 19 potato farms in seven villages. The farmers of the area were called for a meeting in February 2002 and a leaflet was produced and distributed in March. Measures were recommended to farmers, but not served as orders to the involved individuals; they included:

• no growing of host plants in the contaminated fields for three years • use of certified seed in the future • control of volunteers • disinfection of equipment and stores (disinfectant was supplied by the plant health service) In general, no potatoes were designated as contaminated or probably contaminated (according to the inspectors, most had already been used or marketed by the time test results were available). No lots were temporarily seized as suspected after a positive screening test. Because of the uncertain origin of the seed and direct sale on the local market, not much emphasis was put on investigating the origin and possible spread of the contamination. A few water samples from nearby rivers were taken and found negative. The inspectors suspect that cattle allowed to roam the harvested fields across farm borders could be an important pathway for contamination.

During the 2002 and 2003 seasons, the area was monitored during the growing season and samples were taken at harvest for testing. To facilitate the work, potato fields were marked on aerial photography maps. No visual symptoms were observed in the growing crops, but tuber symptoms were seen on samples, cut after return of positive laboratory results. The total area grown with potatoes in the area had gone down since 2001 to less than 50ha. The control programme was still based on convincing the farmers to adopt the measures voluntarily rather than strict enforcement. Some following up of the control of volunteers was done, but a systematic verification of the disinfection work or the use of certified seed was not carried out. Nor was any designation of contaminated and probable contaminated material done. 6 In late 2002, a renewed mobilisation of the farmers was attempted through an information meeting. In February 2003, all outbreak farms received a letter listing the necessary measures to be implemented on the farm, such as, immediate disinfection of machinery and equipment and for the next four years, control of volunteers and avoidance of host plants in the contaminated field. The letter did not prescribe any measures for the contaminated or probably contaminated potatoes or for the “other fields” on the farm (such as the use of certified seed only for at least the two following seasons). Table 5.2, below shows the number of samples taken in the monitoring programme and the incidence of contamination:

Table 5.2 Number of potato samples from the Kalavryta area analysed for brown rot 2001-2003

Harvest year No. of samples No. of positives % positives 2001 39 19 49 2002 131 10 8 2003 47 4*) 9 *) 2 of the 4 not yet confirmed at the time of the mission

The team interviewed a farmer who grows 2ha of potatoes each year out of a total farmed area of 10ha. He had an outbreak in 2002. He had allegedly sold his entire harvest of 45 t when the test results were available. He could confirm measures adopted, such as, taking the contaminated field out of potato production for several years, disinfecting equipment and stores and purchasing certified seed for 2003. However, he stretched this seed material with uncertified seed and contamination reoccurred in his 2003 harvest. Again the whole harvest was sold, some of it after the contamination was discovered. For 2004, he plans to plant only certified seed.

5.4. Labelling of ware potatoes

During the mission in March 2000, all Greek potatoes observed at the Athens wholesale market were marketed unlabelled. Since then the authorities have taken various initiatives to improve the situation. Circulars have been sent to both the local inspectors and the trade, and meetings have been held on the subject with local inspectors. Checks in the packing stations and at market places have been carried out and at the time of the mission, the first case of legal proceedings for non-compliance had been sent to the Minister for endorsement. Furthermore, a decree was issued requiring all 3rd country potatoes to be clearly labelled with country of origin, registration number of importer and the indication: “planting is prohibited”.

The mission team re-visited the wholesale market in Athens and visited also the wholesale market in Patras. Most bags now carried a label, identifying the packing station or the producer, albeit usually without the registration number filled in. During these visits the services took note of the non- compliant potatoes for further follow-up.

7 6. CONCLUSIONS

As far as the mission team could judge, the Council Directives 93/85/EEC and 98/57/EC have both been transposed in a complete and correct manner. Thus, the Greek Plant Health Service should have the adequate legal basis to implement the requirements of these directives. However, a national manual or contingency plan, which was recommended in the previous mission, has still not be developed to assist the regional/local inspectors in taking a systematic approach to outbreaks; and in general the control efforts of the Service have been somewhat hesitant and not fully efficient:

– With regards to the ring rot control in Crete, the situation remains largely unchanged in the main potato growing area, Lasithi. The recommendation from the previous mission has not been implemented and Council Directive 93/85/EEC is still not fully applied. Consequently, the contamination there is not being eradicated or adequately controlled. In the two other areas, where the farmers have been better able to implement the necessary measures, the contamination has been reduced or perhaps even eradicated. The authorities now face the challenge of preventing re-introduction into these areas from Lasithi.

– The control of brown rot in Kalavryta faces difficulties similar to those of the ring rot control programme in Crete. Thus, not all control elements of Council Directive 98/57/EC, Articles 4, 5 and 6 have been systematically and successfully implemented and outbreaks in potatoes are still found in the area two growing seasons after the first discovery. However, the inspection service involved has attained a good overview of the situation, established good contacts with the farmers and succeeded in reducing the incidence of outbreaks substantially.

The recommendation from the previous mission regarding the enforcement of ware potato labelling has been taken up. The Plant Health Service thus carries out various activities now to make the Greek potato producers and traders respect point 18.5 of Annex IVAII to Council Directive 2000/29/EC. Although not yet fully implemented in practice, substantial improvements in the labelling and hence the traceability of ware potatoes on the Greek market have been achieved.

7. CLOSING MEETING

A closing meeting was held at the Ministry of Agriculture in Athens on 30 January 2004 with representatives from the Department of Phytosanitary Control, who provisionally accepted the findings and conclusions of the mission team.

8. RECOMMENDATIONS

The authorities in Greece are recommended to:

(1) no longer accept status quo in the ring rot situation on the Lasithi Plateau. It is now six years after the first discovery of the disease, and it is necessary that the Greek Government finds a way to efficiently implement the control measures necessary for reducing and eventually eradicating the contamination - in accordance with Council Directive 93/85/EEC

8 (2) strengthen the control measures applied in cases of brown rot outbreaks to fully comply with Council Directive 98/57/EC, and in particular:

(a) to put potato lots, which are suspected of being contaminated under official control until finalisation of the testing, as required in Article 4(2)

(b) to designate contaminated and probably contaminated potato lots as required in Article 5(1) and ensure that they are disposed of as required in Article 6(1)&(2)

(c) to designate entire places of production as contaminated (not only the contaminated field) as required in Article 5(1) and enforce the measures required in Article 6(4) on the whole place of production - especially the requirement for use of certified seed only for at least two years after the contamination

(3) consider preparing a national contingency plan to assist the regional/local services when investigating and controlling outbreaks of ring rot and brown rot. This would facilitate a systematic and consistent approach in line with the EU legislation from the very beginning of any new outbreak

(4) to continue the enforcement efforts regarding the labelling of ware potatoes to reach a full implementation of Point 18.5 of Annex IV, part A, section II to Council Directive 2000/29/EC

Greece is requested to submit to the Commission, within two months of the receipt of the translated final report, an action plan addressing the above recommendations in detail and giving deadlines for their implementation.

9 9. ADDENDUM

In their comments to the draft report the Greek authorities responded briefly to the recommendations:

• On the ring rot situation in Crete, they explain that every effort is being made to implement the measures of Council Directive 93/85/EEC in all outbreak areas in Crete, except Lasithi Prefecture where the resource poor farmers do not appreciate the necessity of the measures and where the implementation would have severe socioeconomic effects. Nevertheless, the emergency decisions restricting potato “export” out of Crete are being reviewed and more stringent measures with a view to eradicating the bacterium in the Lasithi Prefecture region are being considered.

• On the control of brown rot, they also state that all the necessary measures to eradicate Ralstonia solanacearum in the Kalavryta Plateau region are being taken whereby the contamination in 2003 has been considerably reduced.

• On the labeling of ware potatoes, they mention that instructions on obligatory labelling of potatoes in transport have been issued and controls have been intensified to achieve full implementation of the requirements.

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