2001/440/EC: Commission Decision of 29 May 2001 amending Decision 98/83/EC recognising certain third countries and certain areas of third countries as being free of Xanthomonas campestris (all strains pathogenic to Citrus), Cercospora angolensis Carv. et Mendes and Guignardia citricarpa Kiely (all strains pathogenic to Citrus) (notified under document number C(2001) 1484)
Date: 2001-05-29
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: citrus fruit, import, plant health control, plant health legislation, third country

12.6.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 155/13

COMMISSION

COMMISSION DECISION

of 29 May 2001

amending Decision 98/83/EC recognising certain third countries and certain areas of third countries
as being free of Xanthomonas campestris (all strains pathogenic to Citrus), Cercospora angolensis
Carv. et Mendes and Guignardia citricarpa Kiely (all strains pathogenic to Citrus)

(notified under document number C(2001) 1484)

(2001/440/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Directive 2000/29/EC of 8 May 2000
the introduction into the
on protective measures against
Community of organisms harmful to plants or plant products
and against their spread within the Community (1), and in
particular Annex IV, part A, section I, points 16.2 and 16.4
thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

Annex IV, part A section I, points 16.2, 16.3 and 16.4
of Directive 2000/29/EC, read with Article 6 thereof,
require Member States to ban the introduction into their
territory of fruits of Citrus L., Fortunella Swingle, Poncirus
Raf., and their hybrids, originating in third countries
where Xanthomonas campestris (all strains pathogenic to
Citrus), Cercospora angolensis Carv.
et Mendes and
Guignardia citricarpa Kiely (all
strains pathogenic to
Citrus) are known to occur.

Under Commission Decision 98/83/EC (2), as last modi-
fied by Decision 1999/104/EC (3), certain third countries
were recognised as being free of Xanthomonas campestris
(all strains pathogenic to Citrus), Cercospora angolensis
Carv. et Mendes and Guignardia citricarpa Kiely (all strains
pathogenic to Citrus) and certain areas were recognised
as being free of those harmful organisms in third coun-
tries where they are known to occur.

On the basis of
information collected in the United
States of America during a mission carried out by the
Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) in March 2000, and
supplied by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service of the United States Department of Agriculture,
that new infestations of Xanthomonas
it

appears

(1) OJ L 169, 10.7.2000, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 15, 21.1.1998, p. 41.
(3) OJ L 33, 6.2.1999, p. 27.

campestris, strains pathogenic to Citrus were detected in
Broward, Hendry and Hillsborough Counties in Florida;
therefore the said counties should be deleted from the
list of areas recognised in Florida as being free of
Xanthomonas campestris (all strains pathogenic to Citrus).

On the basis of information collected in Brazil during a
mission carried out by the said FVO in July 2000, and
supplied by the Secretaria de Defensa Agropecuária of
the Ministério da Agricultura e do Abastecimento of
it appears that Xanthomonas campestris, strains
Brazil
pathogenic to Citrus have only been detected in the
States of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, São
Paulo, Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso do Sul. The list of
areas recognised as being free of Xanthomonas campestris
(all strains pathogenic to Citrus) should be amended to
reflect this.

On the basis of information supplied during the above
mission,
it appears that Guignardia citricarpa Kiely (all
strains pathogenic to Citrus) is present only in the States
of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul.
Therefore, other Brazilian states should be restored to
the list of areas recognised as being free of Guignardia
citricarpa Kiely (all strains pathogenic to Citrus).

In 2000, interceptions of fruits of Citrus sinensis origin-
ating in Swaziland, found infected by Guignardia citri-
carpa Kiely (all strains pathogenic to Citrus), have been
notified to the Commission. The list of countries recog-
nised as being free from Guignardia citricarpa Kiely (all
strains pathogenic to Citrus) should be amended to
reflect this.

for which the official statement

Specific arrangement should be made for goods in
transit
foreseen by
Annex IV, part A, section I, points 16.2 and 16.4 of
Directive 2000/29/EC was issued in accordance with
Decision 98/83/EC.

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

L 155/14

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

12.6.2001

(8)

The measures provided for in this Decision are in
accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee
on Plant Health,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Decision 98/83/EC is hereby amended as follows:

1. In Article 2, the third indent is replaced by the following:

‘— all areas of Brazil, with the exception of the States of
Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo,
Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso do Sul’

2. In Article 2, fourth indent, the text ‘Florida (with the excep-
tion of Collier County, Dade County and Manatee County)’,
is replaced by ‘Florida (with the exception of Broward
County, Collier County, Miami — Dade County, Hendry
County, Hillsborough County and Manatee County)’.

3. In Article 4, third indent, the text ‘all citrus-growing third
countries in Africa, with the exception of South Africa,
Kenya, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe,’ is replaced by
‘all citrus-growing third countries in Africa, with the excep-

tion of South Africa, Kenya, Mozambique, Swaziland,
Zambia and Zimbabwe’.

4. In Article 5, a further indent is added:

‘— in Brazil : all areas with the exception of the States of
Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul.’

Article 2

The present Decision does not apply to citrus for which the
official statement foreseen by Annex IV, part A, section I,
points 16.2 and 16.4 of Directive 2000/29/EC was issued in
accordance with Decision 98/83/EC and which were exported
before the competent authorities of Brazil, United States and
Swaziland were informed of the present Decision.

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Article 3

Done at Brussels, 29 May 2001.

For the Commission

David BYRNE

Member of the Commission