International Association of Horticultural Producers
AIPH
In 1948, a group of representatives from the national grower associations of Western Europe came together in Zurich.
ID: 873862119851-81
Lobbying Activity
14 Aug 2018
The International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) represents ornamental growers and landscape organisations from all parts of the globe. AIPH is promoting and stimulating the use of living green in daily life, as ornamental plants play an essential role in creating vibrant urban areas in which people and businesses can thrive.
It is therefore important that growers and landscapers have access to plant material from different parts of the world. AIPH accepts that the trade of plants and plant products can risk spreading pests and diseases. However, if the EU were to ban the import of plants on the proposed list (from 14 December 2019 as proposed) then this will have a notable impact on the ornamental sector without, we believe, a corresponding reduction in risk of pest and disease spread.
There are genera on the list that have been imported into EU countries for more than 30 years. In that period hundreds of millions plants and cuttings have been imported. The genera Ficus and Cycas, two genera with a lot of international trade (many millions of plants yearly) have been imported for many decades without any notable problems. Also, Acer, Jasminum, Ligustrum and Lonicera are genera with a considerable trade and production. Many hundreds of companies in EU countries are involved in the import of these genera. An import ban on the above mentioned genera will have an enormous impact, not only for the import companies in the EU, but also for many hundreds of companies involved in the production of these plants in the EU and in third countries, and for companies involved in sales and marketing. Trade, production and consumption of these genera will drop dramatically.
The main objection to the list, and in particular the above mentioned genera, is the lack of the necessary justification and evidence for a temporary or permanent import ban. If these listed genera had been a significant problem then action would have been taken long ago as they are such major products in our industry.
In Annex III of Regulation 2016/2031 criteria are described to be taken into account for a preliminary assessment. Most of them do not apply for the above mentioned genera. They are not grown or collected in the wild, they do not host commonly hosted pests known to have a major impact on plant species which are of economic, social or environmental importance to the EU, they do not harbour pests without signs and symptoms of those pests. Not all, but many of these mentioned plant species are imported as young plants or cuttings and in some cases they are imported without leaves, whereby the risk of pests is minimized. These facts make it hard to explain to companies involved in production or trade of these commodities in the EU, but also in third countries, that from one day to another their commodity poses a pest risk of unacceptable level and that an import ban could be necessary.
The procedure requiring third countries to complete an application for the import of the genera on the list into the EU will have an enormous impact. To complete assessments for so many plant genera and different plant species is not only a heavy burden for the exporting third countries but also for the European Commission and EFSA. The assumption of the Commission that this can be carried out before 14 December 2019 is seriously questioned by AIPH. During the ad-hoc meeting of the Advisory Group on the Food Chain and Animal and Plant Health on 12 July the Commission mentioned that they expect third countries with little export of these genera will not do an application. This will lead to impoverishment of the assortment.
Some of the plant species are imported in soil, like Ficus microcarpa or Acer and Ligustrum as bonsai. The risks of importing pests is minimized by strengthening the requirements of plants in soil in the annexes of the current Council Directive.
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