EUROPEAN COMMISSION HEALTH & CONSUMER PROTECTION DIRECTORATE-GENERAL Directorate F - Food and Veterinary Office DG(SANCO)/3399/2001 – MR FINAL FINAL REPORT OF A MISSION CARRIED OUT IN URUGUAY FROM 17/09/2001 TO 21/09/2001 IN ORDER TO EVALUATE THE INSPECTION PROCEDURES FOR CITRUS FRUIT ORIGINATING IN URUGUAY AND EXPORTED TO THE EUROPEAN UNION Please note that factual errors in the draft report have been corrected in bold, italic, type. Clarifications provided by the Uruguayan authorities are given as footnotes, in bold, italic, type, to the relevant part of the report. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................... 1 2. OBJECTIVES OF THE MISSION............................................................................. 1 3. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE MISSION ........................................................................ 1 4. BACKGROUND......................................................................................................... 2 4.1. Background to present mission ......................................................................... 2 4.2. Production and trade information...................................................................... 2 4.3. Health information............................................................................................ 3 5. MAIN FINDINGS ...................................................................................................... 3 5.1. Competent authority.......................................................................................... 3 5.1.1. Structure .............................................................................................. 3 5.1.2. Human Resources................................................................................ 3 5.1.3. Financial Resources............................................................................. 3 5.1.4. Citriculture Fund ................................................................................. 4 5.2. Institutions related to the Citrus sector.............................................................. 4 5.2.1. Citrus Commission (Comision Honoraria Nacional Del Plan Citricola – CHNPC) .................................................................... 4 5.2.2. National Institute of Agricultural Research ........................................ 4 5.3. Citriculture in Uruguay ..................................................................................... 4 5.3.1. General ................................................................................................ 4 5.3.2. Nurseries.............................................................................................. 5 5.3.3. Places of Production............................................................................ 5 5.3.4. Packing Facilities ................................................................................ 6 5.3.5. Terminals and Fruit Stores .................................................................. 6 5.4. Citrus Canker caused by Xanthamonas campestris pv. citri............................. 6 5.4.1. Background ......................................................................................... 6 5.4.2. The National Citrus Canker Prevention and Eradication Campaign ............................................................................................ 7 5.4.3. Surveys for Citrus canker.................................................................... 7 5.4.4. General control measures .................................................................... 8 5.4.5. Quarantine measures ........................................................................... 8 5.5. Citrus black spot and Cercospora angolensis................................................. 10 5.6. Fruit flies (Tephritidae) ................................................................................... 10 5.7. Other pests and diseases.................................................................................. 11 ii 5.7.1. Citrus leafminer................................................................................. 11 5.7.2. Viruses and viroids............................................................................ 11 5.7.3. Viruses............................................................................................... 11 5.7.4. Viroids............................................................................................... 11 5.8.1. National Citrus Certification Programme.......................................... 12 5.9. Laboratories..................................................................................................... 12 5.10. Imports ............................................................................................................ 12 5.11. Exports ............................................................................................................ 13 5.11.1. Citrus Fruit Phytosanitary Certification Scheme .............................. 13 5.11.2. Pre-Export Inspections and Treatments ............................................ 14 6. CONCLUSIONS....................................................................................................... 14 6.1. Competent authority performance................................................................... 14 6.2. Laboratories..................................................................................................... 14 6.3. Citriculture in Uruguay ................................................................................... 14 6.4. Citrus canker................................................................................................... 15 6.5. Citrus Black Spot and Cercospora angolensis................................................. 15 6.6. Fruit Flies (Tephritidae) .................................................................................. 15 6.7. Exports ............................................................................................................ 15 7. CLOSING MEETING .............................................................................................. 15 8. OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................. 15 9. RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................................................... 16 9.1. To the competent authorities of Uruguay........................................................ 16 9.2. To the Commission services ........................................................................... 16 10. ADDENDUM ........................................................................................................... 17 iii ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE REPORT BIP Border Inspection Post CFPCS Citrus Fruit Phytosanitary Certification System CHNPC Comision Honoraria Nacional Del Plan Citricola (Citrus Commission) COSAVE Southern Cone Plant Protection Committee DAS (ELISA) Double Antibody Sandwich ELISA DGSA Dirección General De Servicios Agrícolas DOT (ELISA) Immunodot ELISA ELISA Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay EPPO European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation EU European Union FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations FVO Food and Veterinary Office of the European Commission ha Hectare IF Immunofluorescence INIA National Institute of Agricultural Research MERCOSUR Southern Cone Common Market MGAP Ministerio De Ganadería, Agricultura y Pesca NCCPEC National Citrus Canker Prevention and Eradication Campaign PCR Polymerase chain reaction PRA Pest Risk Analysis t metric tons iv 1. INTRODUCTION The mission took place in Uruguay between the 17/09/2001 and 21/09/2001. The mission team comprised 2 inspectors from the Food and Veterinary Office and 2 National Experts from the member states. The mission was undertaken as part of the FVO’s planned mission programme. Representatives from the central competent authority, the Dirección General De Servicios Agrícolas (DGSA), accompanied the inspection team during the mission. An opening meeting was held on 17 September 2001 with the DGSA in Montevideo. At this meeting, the objectives and itinerary for the mission were confirmed by the inspection team. 2. OBJECTIVES OF THE MISSION The objectives of the mission were: (1) To evaluate the inspection and if necessary, treatment of Citrus fruits exported to the European Union against the requirements of EU legislation. Specifically, Annex IVA1 point 16 of Council Directive 2000/29/EC1, last amended by Commission Decision 2001/33/EC2, and Commission Decisions 98/83/EC3 and 1999/104/EC4, and, (2) To gather information on the phytosanitary aspects of Citrus production in Uruguay. This was the first mission undertaken to Uruguay for this purpose. It formed part of a wider series of missions to citrus producing third Countries, to evaluate control systems and operational standards in this sector. In pursuit of these objectives, the following sites were visited: COMPETENT AUTHORITY VISITS Comments Competent authority Central 1 LABORATORY VISITS Comments Central 1 Technical institutes/research stations 1 PLANT HEALTH CONTROL SITES Comments Inspection sites (orchards, residential 9 areas...) Propagation Unit 1 3. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE MISSION The mission was carried out under the general provisions of Community legislation, in particular, Article 21 of Council Directive 2000/29/EC, and by agreement with the Competent Authority of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay