NoC161/18 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 14.6.93
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDirectiveonthecontrolofpotatoringrot(1)
(93/C161/06
On1April1993,theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunityonthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforAgricultureandFisheries,whichwasresponsibleforpreparingtheCom­
mittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon1April1993.TheRapporteurwas
MrStokkers.
Atits305thPlenarySessionon28-29April1993(meetingof28April)theEconomicand
SocialCommitteeadoptedthefollowingOpinionunanimously .
1.Introduction —Checksinclonalrelatedmaterial
—Measurestobetaken
—Generalmeasurestopreventspread
viaseedpotatoes
—Rulesofimplementation
—Samplesize
—Detailsrelatedtotesting
—Elementsintheprobablecontami­
nationextent
—ElementsrelatedtoeradicationArticle6
Article7
Article8
Articles9-15
Annex1
Annex2
Annex3
Annex4
2.CommentsThepresentDirective(80/665/EEC)laysdownmini­
mummeasuresagainstpotatoringrotinorderto
preventitsoccurrence,aswellastolocateandcontrol
thisdisease.Severaldevelopments createdaneedfor
animprovedcontrolregime.
TheproposedDirectivewillreplacetheoldoneand
theseparateCommissionDecisionstakeninrelationto
therecentoccurrenceofthisdiseaseinDenmarkand
Germany .
Ringrotisseenasamostdangerousdiseaseforpotatoes
andasathreattothepotato-growing industry.
Measurestopreventtheintroductionofthediseaseare
laiddowninthephyto-Directive (77/93/EEC).This
ringrotDirectivedefinestheactiontobetakenin
theeventoftheoccurrenceofthisdiseasewithinthe
EuropeanCommunity .Inrecentyears,therehavebeen
infestationsinDenmarkandGermany.
Thestructureoftheproposalistwofold:abodyof
articlessettingoutthegeneralapproachandannexes
listingtechnicaldetails.
TheannexescanbechangedbytheStandingCommittee
forPlantHealthinaccordancewiththeprocedureslaid
downinArticle16A.2.1.Theproposedmeasuresprovideforanimproved
controlregimewithregardtopotatoringrot.Owing
totheurgencywithwhichtheproposalhadtobe
examined,theCommitteewasunabletoobtain
adequateexpertadviceonallitsaspects.Subjectto
thisreservation,itendorsestheobjectiveandgeneral
contentoftheCommissionproposal.
Article2
2.2.TheCommitteesuggeststhatthisArticleshould
laydowntheminimumpercentageofproductiontobe
tested.Thestructureisasfollows:
Article1—Aims(localising,preventionofspre­
adanderadication )
Article2—Survey
Articles3—Announcement ofsuspectedoccur­
and4 renceandmeasurestobetaken
Article5—DesignationofspreadofinfectionArticle8
2.3.Preventionofthespreadofpossiblyinfected
materialisnotsufficientlycovered.
IntheSingleMarket,withoutbordercontrolsandwith
noinspectionsordocumentsforpotatoesotherthan
seedpotatoes,itisimportanttodoallthatispossible
topreventthespreadofinfestation . (!)OJNoC93,2.4.1993,p.3.

14.6.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC161/19
TheCommitteethereforeproposestoaddthefollowing
texttoArticle8:
'MemberStatesshallpressforonlycertifiedseed
potatoestobeplanted,aslaiddowninDirective
66/403/EEConthemarketingofseedpotatoes.
MemberStatesshallprescribethatseedpotatoes
shallbegraded,stored,transported,keptorhandled
separatelyfromwarepotatoes,withtheexception
ofpotatoesthataregraded,handled,transported
orstoredattheirplaceofproduction.''1bis
Theelementsinthedetermination oftheextentof
possiblespreadoftheorganismsandthedemar­
cationofthezonespecifiedinArticle5.3may
include:
—allthoseelementsinparagraph1above
—theproximityofotherplacesofproductionof
potatoesorotherhostplants,and
—thecommonalityofseedpotatostocks.'
Annex4
2.5.Themeasuresproposedforthefarmonwhich
theinfectedfieldispresentarequitestringent,buton
thewholeacceptable,withoneexception.
Themeasuresprescribedforthefields,otherthanthe
infectedfield,aresuchthatinthecroppingseason
followingtheyearinwhichtheinfectionwasdetected,
nopotatoesatallmaybegrown.
Thereisnophytosanitary orplant-healthreasonfor
imposingthisprohibitiononanentirefarm,whereas
themeasurecouldseriouslydamagetheeconomicpos­
itionofthefarm.
ThereforeinAnnex4,point4.1subb)thefirstindent
shouldbedeleted.Annex3
2.4.Itisnotpracticabletotracethecontactsapiece
ofmachineryhashadduringtheprevioustwelve
months;thereferenceperiodoftwelvemonthsshould
thereforebereviewed.
2.4.1.InArticle5,thereisnoindicationoftheextent
ofa'zone'forpossiblespreadoninfestation.
TheCommitteethereforeproposestoaddanewpara­
graphinAnnex3asfollows:
DoneatBrussels,28April1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN