Be careful when buying plants from abroad!

It is not worth combining your vacation with buying plants! The National Chamber of Agriculture, the National Food Chain Safety Office, the Interprofessional Association of Hungarian Ornamental Gardeners and the FruitVeB Hungarian Vegetable and Fruit Product Council advise plant-loving travelers never to bring home plants, flowers, seeds, fruits or vegetables from a trip abroad. These may contain pests that can damage plants native to and grown in the European Union. This is what #PlantHealth4Life, a campaign organized by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European Commission (EC) and 22 European countries, whose domestic partner is the National Food Chain Safety Office, draws attention to.

And why is plant health so important?

An example from 2013 clearly illustrates that some plant health disasters can even be irreversible. In southern Italy, a bacterium (Xylella fastidiosa) originating from the American continent was identified, which by then had already spread in the olive groves of southern Italy, severely damaging the Italian agricultural economy and turning the typical landscape of the region into a deplorable sight. It infected and destroyed 21 million trees in the Puglia region. Since then, unfortunately, it has appeared in several European countries, causing widespread infection: Italy, France, Spain, Portugal. In addition, it is a pest that has 400-600 host plants and likes to attack, in addition to olives, stone fruits, citrus fruits, grapes and a wide variety of ornamental and wild native plants.

Caution is therefore very important

We can bring plant pests into the country from distant places, against which we can no longer protect ourselves once they have entered the country. Either because we do not yet have effective protection technology against it, or because our native plants are not resistant enough. We may also introduce invasive species that can overwhelm native plants and harm local flora and fauna. Help protect the health of our plants by following customs regulations and not bringing plant material across borders.

When buying plants online, it is also worth paying attention to the fact that plants, plant products or some seeds are accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate

This certificate indicates that the plants are free from EU quarantine pests and non-quarantine pests subject to inspection and meet the requirements for import into the EU, thereby reducing the risk of introducing plant pests and diseases into your garden or farm.

Nébih