Changes to plant health import requirements

Draft Commission Implementing Regulation amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072 as regards the listing of pests and rules on the introduction into, and movement within, the Union territory of plants, plant products and other objects

Draft Annex

Update

The European Union (EU) proposes stricter import rules for ginger and turmeric due to the bacterium Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum, and for citrus fruits from Latin America and the Caribbean because of the pest Gymnandrosoma aurantianum. In addition, the Combined Nomenclature (CN) codes will be updated to align with recent changes, and mangosteen is explicitly added to the list of regulated fruits from non-EU countries.

Impacted Products

Edible ginger and turmeric rhizomes, citrus fruits, mangosteens

What is changing?

New requirements for ginger and turmeric rhizomes

To prevent the spread of bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum, new requirements will be introduced for edible fresh or chilled rhizomes of turmeric (Curcuma longa) and ginger (Zingiber officinale) imported from any country outside the EU. This affects products under CN “ex 0910 11 00” and “ex 0910 30 00” (where “ex” means that only this part of the code, not the whole section, is affected).

Each consignment will now require completion of an Additional Declaration (AD) in the phytosanitary certificate, where one of three options must be selected. In summary, the AD must state that the rhizomes come:

(a) from a country recognised as free from R. pseudosolanacearum; or

(b) from an officially established pest-free area that is named under “Place of origin”; or

(c) from a registered and supervised site of production that has been officially inspected and found to be free of the pest, where a sample has been tested prior to export using appropriate molecular methods, and where traceability to the site is ensured.

New requirements for citrus fruit from the Americas

To prevent the spread of citrus fruit borer (Gymnandrosoma aurantianum), new requirements will be introduced for fruits of Citrus originating in the Americas, including the Caribbean region This affects products under several 0805 CN codes.

Each consignment will now require completion of an AD in the phytosanitary certificate, where one of four options must be selected. In summary, the AD must state that the fruits come:

(a) from a country recognised as free from G. aurantianum; or

(b) from an officially recognised pest-free area that is named under “Place of Origin”; or

(c) from a pest-free place of production that has received official inspections showing no pest presence; or

(d) they have been produced using a systems approach.

The systems approach must be indicated in the phytosanitary certificate. The use of options (a), (b), or (d) requires prior notification in writing to the European Commission.

In the case of both ginger/turmeric and citrus fruit, it is important to review the full details of the options given in the Draft Annex of this Regulation. When completing the phytosanitary certificate, the exact text from the legislation (for the selected option) must be copied and pasted into the AD. For an illustration, see the AGRINFO Guide Exporting fresh capsicum to the European Union.

Mangosteens added to regulated fruit list

Mangosteens (ex 0804 50 00) will be added to the list of regulated fruit from non-EU countries (Draft Annex XI, Part B). Mangosteen imports will therefore be covered by the same phytosanitary controls as other listed tropical fruits, including the requirements concerning phytosanitary certificates and pest checks.

Clarification of CN codes

In Annex XI concerning requirements at the point of import into the EU for certain commodities, the category “Root and tubercle vegetables” is updated and expanded. It clarifies and consolidates CN codes for:

• carrots, turnips, beetroot, radishes, celeriac (0706, certain 0709 codes)
• manioc, sweet potatoes, other starchy roots and tubers (0714 codes)
• ginger, saffron, turmeric (curcuma), and other spices in root/tuber form, fresh or chilled, not dried (ex 0910 11 00, ex 0910 30 00, ex 0910 99 91)
• ginseng roots (newly added ex 1211 20 00)
• sugar beet, chicory roots, other fodder/forage roots (various 1212 and 1214 codes).

This aligns the product list in Regulation 2019/2072 with the most recent CN codes, and ensures that all these edible root and tuber products from non-EU countries fall under the correct import requirements.

The Draft Annex also makes certain technical changes that are important operationally. Numerous CN codes are updated or corrected in Annexes VII, X, XI, XII, XIII, and XIV.

Why?

Recent pest risk assessments and pest outbreaks indicate that international trade is a key pathway for the introduction of these harmful organisms. Fresh rhizomes of turmeric and ginger are now considered higher risk for the spread of R. pseudosolanacearum, and stricter controls of citrus are seen as necessary to reduce the risk of introduction of G. aurantianum, which is present in parts of Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Plant Health Regulation (2016/2031) and its Implementing Regulations (including 2019/2072) need to be aligned with recent changes to the Combined Nomenclature (CN), leaving no gaps in coverage. This Draft Regulation now explicitly links certain product categories (e.g. root and tuber vegetables, fresh spices, ginseng, wood, beehives, agricultural machinery) to the relevant phytosanitary requirements.

Timeline

The Regulation is likely to be published in the second quarter of 2026, and will apply 6 months after publication.

What are the major implications for exporting countries?

Distribution maps published by the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) show that R. pseudosolanacearum and G. aurantianum are widely present in tropical and subtropical regions. The stricter import requirements concerning ginger/turmeric rhizomes and citrus could therefore have an impact on numerous countries exporting to the EU.

Public authorities and operators will need to ensure that the necessary measures and inspection services are in place, and are applied efficiently and effectively at all times, to guarantee that exports fully meet the new rules. In the case of citrus from the Americas, the EU must be notified in advance in writing before export to obtain official validation of the option selected.

Exporters should verify that the CN codes they use still match the products/categories that trigger phytosanitary requirements. Some products that were previously covered by phytosanitary requirements only implicitly are now listed explicitly, which clarifies the rules but may also place them clearly under phytosanitary control.

Recommended Actions

Countries exporting these products to the EU are encouraged to provide feedback on this Draft Regulation.

Stakeholders can give feedback via the European Commission’s Have Your Say webpage until 31 December 2025. Stakeholders wishing to respond must be registered. Those who do not already have an account will first need to Create an EU login account, then register their organisation on the EU Transparency register.

Competent authorities of countries that are members of the WTO can submit comments on the EU’s proposal by emailing the EU SPS Enquiry Point until 6 February 2026.

Background

Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum is a Union quarantine pest (see EU Plant Health Law explained). A few outbreaks have already occurred in Europe, but its distribution is limited and under official control. The EU therefore applies internal measures (surveillance, demarcated areas, and requirements for the movement of host plants) as well as reinforced import requirements, in particular for fresh ginger and turmeric rhizomes, which have been identified as an important pathway of entry.

The EU's Combined Nomenclature (CN) (Annex I to Regulation 2658/87) is updated annually and implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2364 amended this annex.

Resources

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