Belgian and Spanish authorities are tracing all trading routes from the olive trees infected by Xylella fastidiosa. German nurseries warn the industry for importing plants from Mediterranean countries.
These actions are following the discovery of Xylella in olive trees imported from Spain, recently at a wholesale company in West Flanders. Belgium and Spain are finding out if trees from the same batch and the same Spanish supplier, where moved to other EU member states and companies.
So far Dutch authorities have no sign of Dutch companies involved with Xylella in Belgium, but the tracing is not completed yet. So far Spain hasn’t published the region where the infected olive trees came from, but Italian press office ANSA reports the source must be at 70 kilometres distance from the demarcated zone in Eastern Spain.
’Don’t confuse with signs of dehydration’
The German association of nurserymen (BdB) says importing Xylella host plants from Mediterranean countries ’without sufficient control is irresponsible’. When you’re still choose to import those plants, you should take as much as precautions as you can. The BdB advices strongly to test leaf samples in a laboratory at the country of origin. As Xylella symptoms can be confused with signs of dehydration due to the dry and hot summer.
Pictures: Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food chain
