CELEX: 51977PC0244
Language: en
Date: 1977-06-08
Title: PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL DIRECTIVE on the control of Potato Ring Rot (submitted to the Council by the Commission)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
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DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (77) 244
Vol. 1977/0088
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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                          COM(77)244 final
                                          Brussels . 8 June 1977
                                     V
         )                      r                          i  -
                             PROPOSAL  FOR A
                        !
                            COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
                     on the control of Potato Ring Rot
                 (submitted to the Council "by the Commission)
  COM(77 ) 244 final
                                        \
 ---pagebreak---                           Explanatory memorandum
During the discussion of the Council Directive 77/93/EEC of
21 December 1976 on protective measures against the introduction
into the Member States of harmful organisms of plants or plant
products it has become apparent that the measures taken against the
introduction of the disease "Potato Ring Rot " ( Corynebacterium
sepedonicum ( Spieck. et Kott .) Skapt . et Burckh .) are not sufficient .
Therefore it has been decided to adopt minimum rules to control , at
national level , against the introduction and the propagation of
this disease within the Community .
This proposal for a Council Directive seeks to overcome this in­
sufficiency by fixing    a whole series of controls to identify the
occurrence of this disease , to take measures if it is present and
to prevent its spread.
 ---pagebreak---  Commission Proposal for a Council Directive on the control of Potato
 Ring Ro t
The Council of the European Communities ,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community ,
and in particular Article 43 thereof .
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament ,
Whereas potato production occupies an important place in Community
agri culture ;
Whereas the potato yield is constantly threatened by harmful organisms ;
Whereas , through the protection of potato cultivation against such
harmful organisms , not only should productive capacity be maintained but
also agricultural productivity increased ;
Whereas protective measures to prevent the introduction of harmful
organisms into individual Member States would have only a limited effect
if such organisms were not controlled simultaneously and methodically
throughout the Community and were not prevented from spreading ;
Whereas one of the organisms most harmful to potatoes is Corynebacterium
sepedonicum ( Spieck  et Kott .) Skapt et Burkh ., the pathogenic agent of
the bacterial " Potato Ring Rot " disease ;
Whereas this disease has occurred in at     least one Member State and some
limited sources of infection exist within the Community ;
Whereas there is a permanent risk to potato cultivation throughout the
Community if effective measures are not taken to prevent this disease
from occurring or spreading , to locate it and to control it with the aim
of eradicating it ;
Whereas in order to ensure this , minimum provisions must be adopted for
the Community ;  whereas Member States must be able to adopt additional
or stricter measures where necessary ;
Whereas the minimum provisions have to take into account that the disease
can remain latent and unobserved in the growing crop and in stored tubers
and so can be effectively prevented only by production and use of seed
potatoes free from infection , that the disease is spread mainly by contact
 ---pagebreak---                                         - 2 -
 of potatoes with planting , harvesting and handling machinery or tools ,
 transport and storage containers that have been contaminated with the
 disease by previous contact with infected seed potatoes or potatoes for
 consumption , that such contaminated machinery , transport and storage
 containers can remain infectious for up to six months after such con­
tamination , that spread can be reduced or prevented by disinfection of
such equipment and containers , that there is little if any spread of the
disease within the growing crop , that the disease can only exist in soil
through the winter in self-sown ( volunteer ) potato plants ;
Whereas for the determination of the details of such minimum provisions
as well as for those other measures taken by Member States to prevent the
introduction of the disease into their territories it is desirable for
Member States to cooperate closely with the Commission within the
Standing Committee on Plant Health set up by Decision 76/ 894 / EEC ( 1 ),
                      y
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE        :
                                     Article 1
This Directive concerns the minimum measures to be taken within the
Member States against Potato Ring Rot / Corynebacterium sepedonicum
( Spieck et Kott ) Skapt . et Burkh ./, in order
- to prevent it from occurring or spreading ,
- to locate it , and
- to control it with the aim of eradicating it .
                                     Article 2
1.   Member States shall conduct official periodic surveys for Potato Ring
     Rot by official visual inspection of tubers of potato ( Solanum
     tuberosum L. ), which are harvested , stored or marketed there .
2.   Member States shall prescribe that every suspected occurrence of
     Potato Ring Rot in growing , harvested , stored or marketed potatoes
     shall be reported to their official plant protection organization
     which shall examine by visual inspection whether the suspected
     occurrence is confirmed .
3.   Where symptoms of Potato Ring Rot are found in the visual inspections
     provided for in paragraphs 1 or 2 , an official testing according to
     appropriate methods shall be made fcr the presence of this disease
     in potato crops or tubers .
     ( 1 ) O.J. N° L 340 , 9/ 12 / 1976 , p. 25                  ./.
 ---pagebreak--- The fielc , store , consignment or Lot shall be considered to be con­
taminated if such testing confirms the disease in a single plant or
tuber therein .
Member States shall inform the other Member States and the Commission
of the results of the surveys provided for in paragraph 1 and of any
confirmed contamination .   The details of this information shall be kept
confidential .  It may be submitted to the Committee referred to in
Article 16 of Council Directive 77/ 93 / EEC .
The following may be laid down in accordance with the procedure
provided for in Article 16 of    Council Directive 77/ 93/ EEC ,
- the conditions of the surveys provided for in paragraph 1 ,
- the appropriate methods for the official testing provided for in
  paragraph 3 ,
- the forms of the information provided for in paragraph 5 .
                              Article 3
Member States shall prescribe that seed potatoes shall derive in
direct line from plants which have been found free of Potato Ring Rot
in testing carried out on representative samples either officially or
under official control according to an appropriate method .      Notwith­
standing the provisions laid down for the marketing of seed potatoes ,
precautions shall be taken to ensure that seed potatoes derived from
those plants remain free of the disease .
The following may be laid down in accordance with the procedure
provided for in Article 16 of Council Directive 77/ 93/ EEC ,
- the maximum number of propagations prior to basic seed potatoes ,
  which derive from plants subject to testing provided for in
  paragraph 1 ,
- the representative samples on which that testing shall be carried
  out ,
- the appropriate methods for that testing ,
- the precautions provided for in paragraph 1 .
 ---pagebreak---                                     -  L -
                                   Article 4
1. Member States shall prescribe that when a field , store , consignment or
    lot shall be considered to be contaminated , any seed potato crop which
    is clonally related to the crop involved in the contaminated unit or
   which may have been contaminated through direct contact or through
   contact with possibly contaminated objects shall be examined and
   tested according to the provisions laid down in Article 2 paragraphs 2
   and 3 , in both the current and the subsequent year .
2. This provision also applies to any seed potato crop on the premises in
   which the potatoes from the contaminated field , store , consignment or
   lot were grown or in which these potatoes are found or in which they
   are known to have been present during the previous six months .
                                   Article 5
1. Member States shall prescribe that potatoes from a field , store ,
   consignment or lot which shall be considered to be contaminated shall
   not be used for propagation and shall , under the control of their
   official plant protection organization , be treated , handled and
   utilized or disposed of in such a way as to prevent spread of the
   disease .
2. Member States . shall prescribe that in a field which shall be con­
   sidered to be contaminated no potatoes shall be grown in the two years
   following the occurrence nor for as long as volunteer potato plants are
   present in the field .
3. Member States shall prescribe that on the premises whose field , store ,
   consignment or lot shall be considered to be contaminated
   - any packing-material other than containers intended for potato
      tubers or plants shall be destroyed ,
   - any container and any other object which may have been in contact
      with potato tubers or plants from the field , store , consignment or
      lot concerned shal 1. be cleaned and disinfected before any contact
      with other potato tubers or plants ,
   - no seed potatoes shall be grov;.-! in the year following the occurrence .
 ---pagebreak---                                     - 5 -
   - in the / ear following the occurrence no potatoes shall be planted
      other than seed potatoes which have been produced in another
      premises and officially certified .
4. The first and second indent of paragraph 3 shall apply also to
   premises in which potatoes from the field , store , consignment or lot
   concerned are found or in which they are known to have been present
   during the previous six months .
5. Member States shall prescribe that their official plant protection
   organization shall demarcate for five years after the occurrence a
   zone around the premises mentioned in paragraph 3 covering the area
   within which a spread of Potato Ring Rot is likely , due to the
   production organization and conditions within that area .
   Member States shall prohibit the cutting of seed potatoes and use of
   prickertype planting machines within the zone .
   They shall prohibit the removal of potato tubers or plants grown in
   premises mentioned in paragraph 3 from the zone unless they have been
   found free of Potato Ring Rot in an examination and tests carried out
   in accordance with the provisions laid down in Article 2 paragraphs 2
   and 3 .
   Member States shall take all other measures which are necessary to
   control Potato Ring Rot with the aim of eradicating it within the zone
   and to prevent its spread out of this zone .
6. The following may be laid down in accordance with the procedure
   provided for in Article 16 of Council Directive 77 / 93/ EEC
   - the details for the demarcation of the zone provided for in
      paragraph 5 ,
    - the " other measures " mentioned in paragraph 5 .
 ---pagebreak---                                         - 6 -
                                       Article 6
Member States shall prohibit the holding of Potato Ring Rot cultures .
                                       Article 7
Member States may authorize derogations from the measures referred to in
Articles 3 , 4 , 5 and 6 for scientific purposes and work on selection ,
provided that such derogations do not prejudice the control of Potato
Ring Rot and create no risk of spread of this disease .      According to the
procedure laid down in Article 16 of Council Directive 77/ 93 / EEC , Member
States may be authorized to provide for derogations also for cases other
than scientific purposes or work on selection .
                                       Article 8
Member States may adopt such additional or stricter measures as may be
required to control Potato Ring Rot or to prevent it from spreading .
                                       Article 9
1 . Where a Member State considers there is an imminent danger of the
    introduction in its territory of Potato Ring Rot from another Member
    State , it may temporarily take any additional measures necessary to
    protect itself from that danger .     It shall immediately inform the
    other Member States and the Commission of the measures taken and
    indicate the reasons for them .
2 . Under the procedure laid down in Article 17 of Council Directive
    77/ 93 / EEC , it shall be decided whether the measures taken by the
    Member State under paragraph 2 should be rescinded or amended . Until
    a decision has been taken either by the Council or by the Commission
    under the aforesaid procedure , the Member State may maintain the
    measures that it has employed .
                                       Article 10
    Member States shall bring into force the measures necessary to comply
    with this Directive on 23 December 1978 at latest and shall forthwith
    inform the Commission thereof .
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 7 -
                             i
                                Article 11
This Directive is addressed to the Member States .