Plant Pest Plagues?

Phytosanitary measures are essential for reducing the probability of importing plant diseases to crops and natural environments. Some countries, such as New Zealand and Chile, have closed testing systems. Plants can only be imported, when they have been shown to be free of disease agents. The EU, however, operates more open system, where Plants can be imported unless they are known to be harmful. Between 2005 and 2014, 30 billion rooted and unrooted plants, cuttings, bulbs and plant tissues were imported, into Europe, from so-called Third countries. Most of these came in via Dutch ports. Since Brexit, the UK (now a Third country) has hardly had a phytosanitary system. Testing has constantly been deferred so as not to slow imports (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/24/plant-apocalypse-how-deadly-imported-diseases-are-destroying-eu-trees-and-crops-aoe). The EU has recently had lots of plant diseases. Italian olive groves have been decimated by Xylella fastidiosa. This bacterium probably arrived on ornamental coffee trees from Latin America, passing through the Netherlands. The cost is around 1 billion euros. Diseases are also raging in citris trees, carrots, celery and Ash. Global heating might well be facilitating the spread of plant diseases. These 'plagues' make it highly unlikely that a) EU farmers can increase their yields in response to population growth and b) the EU can reverse its biodiversity losses. Perhaps EU phytosanitary regulations need to be more draconian? The UK has the 'Brexit freedom' of being able to introduce a closed phytosanitary system. This will make importing slower but it would be safer. Similar considerations also clearly apply to the importation of animal products.