On Monday 7 August 2023, Luxembourg's Ministry of Agriculture, Viticulture and Rural Development issued a call for residents on holiday not to bring back plants and plant products from third countries with them when they return to the Grand Duchy. 

According to the ministry, plants are the mainstay of life on Earth: they provide the air we breathe and the food we eat. While healthy plants mean healthy food and a sustainable future, plant diseases caused by pests can impact food safety, the economy and the environment.

This is why the Administration of Technical Services for Agriculture (ASTA) has called on travellers not to bring any type of plant from third countries back to the European Union in order to avoid the introduction and spread of pests and phytosanitary diseases. Indeed, harmful organisms contained in imported plant souvenirs such as plants, seeds, roots, fruits or vegetables can spread in our gardens and in our fields, and cause economic losses for the agricultural sector as well as devastating environmental damage.

For example, in Luxembourg, exotic fruits brought by travellers risk being infested by the oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis), which could cause damage to our fruit crops, particularly in plums and cherries. Invasions of this fly have already occurred in orchards in Italy.

Further afield, in the Italian region of Puglia and in southern Europe, the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, introduced by infested plants, has caused the decline of millions of olive trees.

Plant import controls in the European Union: Prevention is better than cure

To guarantee a high level of protection against the introduction of harmful organisms, customs officers confiscate plants carried in personal luggage at points of entry into the European Union when these are not accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate from the EU authority concerning the country of origin, which certifies the absence of harmful organisms.

Similarly, plants and plant products from third countries marketed in the single European market are controlled by the national plant protection services to guarantee the absence of harmful organisms.

European Union #PlantHealth4Life Campaign

An awareness campaign has been launched by the European Food Safety Authority which aims to inform citizens about plant health under the slogan "You will travel in outside the EU? Take pictures, don't bring plants!” More info on https://campaigns.efsa.europa.eu/PlantHealth4Life/en/