Spanish Citrus Management Association says EU is living under "permanent phytosanitary alert"
Written and reported by Camila Gutierrez | Lee esta noticia en Español
The Citrus Management Committee (CGC) has expressed concerns about the state of the European Union's citrus industry phytosanitary conditions after the recent discovery of Bactrocera zonata, known as peach fruit fly, in Greece. The pest is native to Asia and widespread in Egypt, which is the main non-EU supplier of oranges during the European season.
The alert comes just a year after the oriental fruit fly (B. dorsalis), considered even more aggressive and polyphagous, was detected in the same country. Both species are among the 20 pests and diseases with the greatest economic, social, and environmental impact regulated by the European Union.
According to the organization, the pests managed to enter EU territory on several occasions without being detected at port controls. B. zonata has already appeared in Austria (2011), France (2020, 2021, and 2022), and Italy (2023 and 2024), while B. dorsalis was located in Italy (2018), France (2019), and Belgium (2023).
An audit by the European Commission confirmed that the oriental fruit fly continues to spread in Italy and that B. zonata has also not been eradicated.
Inmaculada Sanfeliu, president of the CGC said “Brussels is re-evaluating the regulation of priority pests, and these two species will be on the list again due to their polyphagous nature and aggressiveness. However, surveillance varies greatly depending on the member state,” warned Inmaculada Sanfeliu, president of the CGC.
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