The Council of Agriculture said yesterday that insects hidden in vegetables imported mostly from the US are a serious threat to local agriculture.
Officials from the council's Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine said that they had contacted the US over the issue, although little had been done.
The officials said that western flower thrips have been found in imported broccoli, asparagus, lettuce and flowers. They said that in the first half of this year, produce from the US had the most western flower thrips.
The officials said that if the thrips spread, up to 139 indigenous plants species could be affected. Among them, floral crops grown in greenhouses and melons and other fruits will be the most affected.
The officials said that the pests often hide in the leaves of vegetables and that it is difficult for farmers to get rid of them using pesticides.
The officials estimated that they conducted checks on more than 24,000 batches of imported plants, fruits and vegetables between January and June of this year and found more than 1,500 batches to have hidden pests. Western flower thrips accounted for the largest percentage of cases, 67 percent, followed by scale insects.
During the first half of this year, 422 batches of imported fruits and vegetables were found to be contaminated with western flower thrips. Among them, 413 batches came from the US.
The officials said that they had expressed concern to the US because of the large number of pests, but they said improvement has been limited.
The officials said that if western flower thrips are found in imported vegetables, they should be dealt with by fumigation and the vegetables should then be re-examined according to regulations.
They noted that western flower thrips are not covered by regulations as in the case of the codling moths. If the moth is found, the government can ban imports of the agricultural produce in question.
Apples from the US were found to have codling moths last November and US apple imports were banned for a month.
The officials said that the damage caused by western flower thrips is actually not less than codling moths and the restrictions should be more rigorous for thrips.
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