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The EU court
rejected an appeal from an Italian tribunal over a European
Commission order to destroy all olive trees potentially infected
with the Xylella fastidiosa pathogen, called "olive tree
leprosy".
The controversial cull order came into force last year in the
Puglia region in Italy's "heel", but the regional Italian court
suspended it and questioned the Commission directive.
In response, the Luxembourg-based EU court said in a written
ruling that removing both infected plants and apparently healthy
ones nearby was necessary to stop the spread of the bacteria,
which is carried by flying bugs.
Puglia governor Michele Emiliano said he wanted to meet European
authorities to discuss compensation for farmers affected by the
"drastic measures that risk unimaginable consequences for our
countryside and our economy".
In a statement, Emiliano added that he wanted "a plan to
safeguard our irreplaceable woodland assets, starting from our
centuries-old olive trees".
When Xylella fastidiosa, which dries out the plants' leaves, was
diagnosed in Puglia in 2013, it was the first time it had been
found in Europe. It later spread further north and blighted the
harvest in Italy.
The EU court said it had not conclusively proved a causal link
between the bacteria and the rapid drying out seen in some
Italian olive trees, but said there was a "strong correlation"
which justified the cull.
Matteo Salvini, leader of the eurosceptic Northern League party,
hit out at the ruling, comparing the European Union to the
Soviet Union. "Will the next order be to pull out all the
grapevines in Chianti or the Veneto?" he asked.
Last year, a Puglia prosecutor sequestered 2,000 olive trees
that had been destined for the chop and placed 10 people under
investigation over their handling of the outbreak. The probe is
still underway.
(Reporting by Vincenzo Damiani in Bari and Isla Binnie in Rome;
Editing by Catherine Evans)
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