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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