Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
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Emergency measures announced to prevent spread of Citrus Longhorn Beetle
Emergency measures to prevent further introductions of the Citrus Longhorn Beetle to the UK have been approved, reflecting conclusions agreed by the Standing Committee on Plant Health.
The measures include restrictions on the import of a wide range of plants from countries where the beetle is known to be present. Only plants that have been grown in a pest free environment and that have been monitored for at least two years prior to import will be allowed to enter the UK. Consignments arriving in the UK will have to declare this information on the phytosanitary certificate and will be subject to inspection at import, including some destructive sampling as the pest is difficult to detect without cutting open the plant itself.
The Citrus Longhorn Beetle is a damaging quarantine pest of a range of trees and shrubs. The range of the beetle includes China, Japan and other countries in South East Asia. It is a threat to horticulture, forestry and woodland trees in the UK and also to citrus production in the Mediterranean.
The measures will come into force when they have been adopted by the European Commission, most likely in November. To speed up the introduction of these measures in the UK, an amendment to the Plant Health (England) Order 2005 has been approved and will come into force on 4 November.
Defra have informed the relevant plant health authorities in countries where the pest is present and have written to the main industry groups in England that are likely to be affected by the new measures.
Any consignments arriving prior to the new legislation coming into force will be subject to intensive inspection including sampling, and destruction or rejection if there is any evidence of infestation. Some other Member States, in particular the Netherlands, are also taking early action to ensure there is no delay in implementation of the EU requirements.
Notes to editors
1. The Citrus Longhorn Beetle was first identified in Britain in August 2008. For more information visit http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2008/080814a.htm
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