European Union member states
are divided over how to combat Xylella fastidiosa, a bacteria
that is withering entire olive tree plantations in Italy's
southern Puglia region, EU sources said Friday.
The pathogen was found in olive trees in Puglia in 2013,
where it has since infected up to a million trees.
Xylella causes a withering and desiccation of terminal
shoots, ultimately resulting in the collapse and death of the
tree.
The differences over how to fight the scourge emerged during
a meeting of the EU's Permanent Committee for Plant Health in
which France, Greece and Spain pressed for more radical measures
while Italy opposed them.
Items still under discussion include the extent of the zone
in which to try and contain the disease and what other plants
should be uprooted, sources said.
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