2008/340/EC: Commission Decision of 25 April 2008 amending Decision 2006/133/EC requiring Member States temporarily to take additional measures against the dissemination of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Steiner et Buhrer) Nickle et al. (the pine wood nematode) as regards areas in Portugal, other than those in which it is known not to occur (notified under document number C(2008) 1580)
Date: 2008-04-25
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Portugal, parasitology, plant health control, plant health legislation, wood product

29.4.2008

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 115/41

COMMISSION DECISION

of 25 April 2008

amending Decision 2006/133/EC requiring Member States temporarily to take additional measures
against the dissemination of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Steiner et Buhrer) Nickle et al. (the pine
wood nematode) as regards areas in Portugal, other than those in which it is known not to occur

(notified under document number C(2008) 1580)

(2008/340/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty
Community,

establishing the European

Having regard to Council Directive 2000/29/EC of 8 May 2000
on protective measures against
the introduction into the
Community of organisms harmful to plants or plant products
their spread within the Community (1), and in
and against
particular Article 16(3) thereof,

Whereas:

13

2006

February

requiring Member

In accordance with Commission Decision 2006/133/EC
of
States
temporarily to take additional measures against the disse-
mination of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Steiner et Buhrer)
Nickle et al. (the pine wood nematode – PWN) as regards
areas in Portugal, other than those in which it is known
not to occur (2), Portugal has taken measures against the
dissemination of the pine wood nematode.

buffer zone where susceptible plants are
removed.
Around the focus zone there should be a zone where
susceptible plants are inspected regularly (safety zone).

The requirements for the movement of susceptible wood
in the form of packaging material originating in the
demarcation area should be aligned with the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO)
International Standard
for Phytosanitary Measures No 15 on Guidelines for regu-
lating wood packaging material in international trade.

Decision 2006/133/EC should therefore be amended
accordingly.

The measures provided for
accordance with
Committee on Plant Health,

the

in this Decision are in
Standing
the

of

opinion

(6)

(7)

(8)

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Portugal has sent a report to the Commission on the
execution of those measures in 2007 which shows that
PWN has not spread beyond the demarcated areas, but
continues to be present in those areas.

Decision 2006/133/EC is amended as follows:

Article 1

The implementation of the Portuguese measures in 2007
was evaluated by the Standing Committee on Plant
Health in its meeting of 26-27 November 2007. It was
concluded that the reduction of infection level
in the
demarcated area aimed at by Decision 2006/133/EC
had not been fully achieved.

should continue

such
Therefore, Portugal
measures
in the form of an eradication plan until
31 March 2012, a realistic period to achieve a significant
progress in the control of PWN.

to take

To increase the efficiency of those measures in case of
isolated outbreaks in the buffer zone of the demarcated
area, a ‘focus zone’ should be established within the

(1) OJ L 169, 10.7.2000, p. 1. Directive as

last amended by
Commission Directive 2007/41/EC (OJ L 169, 29.6.2007, p. 51).

(2) OJ L 52, 23.2.2006, p. 34.

1. Article 2 is replaced by the following:

‘Article 2

shall ensure that

Until 31 March 2012, Portugal
the
conditions laid down in the Annex are met in relation to
susceptible wood, bark and plants, which are to be moved
within or from demarcated areas in Portugal and defined as
in accordance with Article 5, either to other areas in Portugal
or to other Member States.

Until 31 March 2012, Portugal shall
implement an eradi-
cation plan to control the spread of PWN with the aim of
eradicating it. That plan shall
include details on the
management, within the demarcated area, of plant species
the
known to be highly susceptible
conditions
reviewed
annually by 31 December’.

in Portugal. This plan shall be

to PWN under

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

L 115/42

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

29.4.2008

2. In the second paragraph of Article 4, the words ‘by 15 December 2006 and 15 December 2007’ are

replaced by the words ‘annually by 15 December’.

3. The Annex to Decision 2006/133/EC is amended in accordance with the Annex to this Decision.

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Article 2

Done at Brussels, 25 April 2008.

For the Commission

Androulla VASSILIOU
Member of the Commission

29.4.2008

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 115/43

ANNEX

The Annex to Decision 2006/133/EC is amended as follows:

1) Point 1(e) is replaced by the following:

‘e) susceptible wood, in the form of packing cases, boxes, crates, drums and similar packings, pallets, box pallets and
other load boards, pallet collars, whether or not actually in use in the transport of objects of all kinds shall be
subject to one of the approved measures as specified in Annex I to the FAO International Standard for Phytosa-
nitary Measures No 15 on Guidelines for regulating wood packaging material in international trade. It shall display a
marking enabling the identification of where and by whom the treatment has been carried out or be accompanied
by the said plant passport attesting to the measures carried out.’

2) Point 2(a) is replaced by the following:

‘a) Susceptible plants shall be treated as follows:

i) susceptible plants grown in places of production where no symptoms of PWN have been observed, or in their
immediate vicinity, since the beginning of the last complete cycle of vegetation and found free from signs or
symptoms of PWN during official inspections, shall be accompanied by the said plant passport when moved
from the place of production;

ii) susceptible plants grown in places of production where symptoms of PWN have been observed, or in their
immediate vicinity, since the beginning of the last complete cycle of vegetation or identified as infested by PWN
shall not be moved from the place of production and shall be destroyed by burning;

iii) susceptible plants grown in places, such as forests, public or private gardens, which are either identified as

infested by PWN, or showing any symptoms of poor health or situated in salvage areas, shall:

— if identified in the period 1 November — 1 April, be felled within that period, or

— if identified in the period 2 April — 31 October, be felled immediately, and

— be tested for the presence of PWN in all cases where such susceptible plants are located in the part of
demarcated areas designated as buffer zones in accordance with Article 5. If the presence is confirmed, the
infested plants and all susceptible plants in a zone within a radius of at least 50 m around the infested
plants and in any case within a radius covering at least 10 susceptible plants, shall be destroyed (focus
zone). All susceptible plants in a zone within a radius of at least 50 m around the focus zone shall be
officially inspected every two months for a period of at least one year after the infested plants have been
removed (safety zone). If another presence of PWN in the vicinity is confirmed during that period, the
demarcated area shall be modified in accordance with the first paragraph of Article 5;’.

3) In point 2(e), the introductory phrase is replaced by the following:

‘e) Susceptible wood in the form of waste produced at the time of felling, shall be, under official control, burned at

appropriate places or chipped into pieces of less than 3 cm thickness and width and left on site:’.

4) Point 2(g) is replaced by the following:

‘g) susceptible wood, in the form of packing cases, boxes, crates, drums and similar packings, pallets, box pallets and
other load boards, pallet collars, dunnage, spacers and bearers, including that which has not kept its natural round
surface, shall be subject to one of the approved measures as specified in Annex I to the FAO International Standard
for Phytosanitary Measures No 15 on Guidelines for regulating wood packaging material in international trade.’