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Exports to
the EU
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Potato Export regime
Ralstonia solanacearum, causing potato brown rot,
has a quarantine status in the EU to restrict its
spread, as infections can be very destructive and
cause considerable yield losses.
Therefore, the danger is an economic danger. Once
Brown Rot gets into the soil or open water (ditches,
canals, etc.) it spreads easily and is difficult to
control. Chemicals are not available to control this
bacterium and being hosted by soil, water and
certain weeds, it would be technically difficult to
control it. Several Member States have Potato Brown
Rot (several outbreaks have been detected in 10 MS,
mostly since 1989) and a system of strict control
(and punishment) has been set up by the relevant
institutions in the Member States and by the
Commission.
Due to the fact that Potato brown rot is also a
major disease in Egypt, the EU has currently a total
import ban on Egyptian potatoes in place. As an
exception to this ban, the EU adopted in 1998 the
“pest-free-areas” system, whereby only potatoes
coming from “pest-free-areas” in which Brown Rot was
known not to occur are permitted, provided that
measures applicable to potatoes grown in these areas
are complied with.
Background
On 19 March 1996, France, on the basis of continued
interceptions of Brown Rot in potatoes originating
in Egypt, adopted measures to implement a ban on
potatoes coming from Egypt, with a view to ensuring
more efficient protection against the introduction
of Brown Rot from Egypt into France.
Similar measures against the introduction of Brown
Rot from Egypt were adopted by Finland on 4 April
1996, Spain on 16 April 1996 and Denmark on 22 April
1996.
The Commission responded by adopting Commission
Decision 96/301/EC of 3 May 1996, authorising MS
temporarily to take additional measures against the
dissemination of Brown Rot originating in Egypt.
According to this Decision, potatoes coming from
Egypt were allowed to enter into the EU only if
certain additional measures were complied with:
- potatoes should come from a list of villages from
the Delta or basins from the desert, officially
established by the competent Egyptian authorities,
in which no outbreak of Brown Rot had occurred
- potatoes should have been officially tested in
Egypt and found free from Brown Rot symptoms
- harvested, handled and bagged separately
- prepared in lots made up by potatoes harvested in
one single area
- clearly labelled with the official code number of
the area
- accompanied by an official Phytosanitary
certificate
Due to the considerable number of interceptions of
Brown Rot on imports of potatoes originating in
Egypt during the import season 1996/97, it became
apparent that the additional measures referred to in
COM Decision 96/301/EC were not sufficient to
prevent the entry of Brown Rot. Therefore, the said
Decision was amended by Commission Decision
1998/105/EC of 28 January 1998 whereby the import
into the Community of potatoes originating in Egypt
was banned with effect from 1 February 1998 unless
with reference to certain areas in Egypt where
additional emergency measures against the
dissemination of Brown Rot were complied.
Finally, Commission Decision 1998/503/EC of 11
August 1998 adopted the “pest-free-areas” system,
whereby only potatoes coming from “pest-free-areas”
in which Brown Rot was known not to occur, as
established by official surveys and monitoring
procedures in accordance with the “FAO International
Standard for Phytosanitary Measures Part 4” were
permitted, provided that measures applicable to
potatoes grown in these areas were complied with.
This provision should no longer apply as soon as the
Commission had notified the MS that more than five
interceptions of Brown Rot had been confirmed and
that it had been found that the method for the
identification of the PFAs or the monitoring in
Egypt was not sufficient.
This PFAs system has been subsequently confirmed by
the following COM Decisions:
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COM Decision 1999/842/EC of 30 November 1999,
lifting the ban for Egyptian potatoes coming from
approved PFAs during the import season 1999/2000
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COM Decision 2000/568/EC of 8 September 2000,
lifting the ban for Egyptian potatoes coming from
approved PFAs during the import season 2000/2001
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COM Decision 2001/664/EC of 16 August 2001,
lifting the ban for Egyptian potatoes coming from
approved PFAs during the import season 2001/2002
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COM Decision 2002/903/EC of 14 November 2002,
lifting the ban for Egyptian potatoes coming from
approved PFAs during the import season 2002/2003
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COM Decision 2004/4/EC of 22 December 2003,
lifting the ban for Egyptian potatoes coming from
approved PFAS during the import season 2003/2004
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COM Decision 2004/836/EC of 6 December 2004,
lifting the ban for Egyptian potatoes coming from
approved PFAs during the import season 2004/2005
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COM Decision 2005/840/EC of
25 November 2005, lifting the ban for Egyptian
potatoes coming from approved PFAs during the
import season 2005/2006
Yearly renovation of the system
The decision to open the EU market to Egyptian
potatoes coming from approved Pest Free Areas (PFAs)
is taken by Member States in the Standing Committee
on Plant Health (SCPH) held at the end of September
every year in Brussels.
Prior to this meeting, COM (DG SANCO E.1) organises
an ad hoc working group at the beginning of
September to examine the information supplied by
Egypt on their investigations on interceptions of
Egyptian potatoes contaminated with Brown Rot during
the last season, and Egypt’s proposed list of PFAs
for the coming season.
Upon a suggestion of COM (DG SANCO E.1), and
discussions on information provided by Egypt, the
SCPH takes the decision to re-open (or not) the
export possibility of Egyptian potatoes originating
in the approved PFAs. In addition, the SCPH can
discuss/approve any amendment to the provisions
governing the regime.
COM then undertakes the necessary legal drafting in
order to re-open the possibility for Egypt to export
potatoes to the EU in the next season and presents
the text in one of the forthcoming meetings of the
SCPH (usually end October). The permitted potato
export season for Egypt usually lasts from January
to May/June.
Finally the Commission Decision allowing the entry
into the EU of potatoes from PFAs of Egypt is
usually adopted and published in the OJ by the end
of the year. The Commission Decision 2004/836/EC,
amending Commission Decision 2004/4/EC on the import
of Egyptian potatoes during the import season
2004/2005 was adopted on 6 December 2004 and
published in the OJ L 360 (7.12.2004).
Latest Egyptian legislation governing the PFA system
Following last export season high number confirmed
findings of Potato Brown Rot in Egyptian potatoes
exported to the EU, the Ministry of Agriculture and
the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Industry have
jointly issued Decree 757/2005 establishing more
strict rules for the production, preparation,
examination and exportation of potatoes for the
upcoming season 2005/2006. According to the Decree,
exportation of potatoes will be only allowed to
those companies that exported an amount not less
than 4,000 tons to the EU during last season and
limited to a quantity not exceeding those that were
exported last season.
Companies and packing stations will be suspended for
the rest of the season if proven their
responsibility on the infection of exported
potatoes.
More severe procedures for the preparation of
potatoes have been also adopted in particular on the
monitoring and control of the packing stations.
In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and
Industry has suspended a number of companies and
packing stations from exporting/operating potatoes
to be exported to the EU for one year due to their
negative record on interceptions during last export
season. The complete list of companies and packing
stations has been published in MFTI Decree 507/2005.
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