Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on Unsplash
A new initiative has been launched to help promote protection from “plant pests.”
EFSA, the European Commission (EC) and their partners in Member States of the European Union are launching the #PlantHealth4Life campaign.
Among other things,the campaign promotes awareness of plant health and its link with our everyday life.
Plants are the backbone of life on Earth: they provide us with the air we breathe and the food we eat.
But, today, plants are under heavy pressure due to climate change and human activities such as trade and travel.
Plant pests can cause devastating economic and environmental losses. Xylella fastidiosa, for example, killed millions of olive trees in the Italian region of Puglia, with cases reported across Southern Europe.
“Plant health is fundamental to our wellbeing and the environment. EFSA, the EC and Member States work together to protect the EU from plant pests and diseases. The #PlantHealth4Life campaign is a joint initiative to raise citizens’ awareness about plant health risks. By engaging individuals across the EU, we aim to create a collective responsibility to keeping plants healthy,” said EFSA’s Executive Director, Bernhard Url.
“With One-Health being very high on the agenda of the European Commission, protection from plant pests and diseases coming into the EU is a priority for us all. “
“The smallest actions can have the biggest effects. This starts with being armed with the right information and to make sure that everyone understands this fight and contributes in a meaningful way to the EU’s leading role in protecting our biodiversity,” said Claire Bury, Deputy Director-General for Food Sustainability of DG SANTE.
