Poppies and olive trees, here in Catalonia.

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Xylella fastidiosa, nicknamed olive killer bacteria, was detected in August on a sample of lavandin in Aude in Occitanie, a region so far unharmed, as part of a routine inspection by the services of the ministry of Agriculture, according to a statement Friday.

The bacteria constitute a danger for plants but present no risk to human health.

It was spotted in an establishment of production and resale to individuals of ornamental plants, said the ministry without communicating the exact location.

Precautionary measures have been taken, including stopping all marketing of plants from this establishment, where phytosanitary treatment was applied to the entire site.

A perimeter of 2.5 kilometers around the site has been established in an attempt to prevent any spread of the disease through surveillance measures and the uprooting of plants susceptible to xylella.

A bacterium from Italy

Xylella fastidiosa, which has wreaked havoc on olive trees in the Puglia region of Italy, was first spotted in France in 2015. It is present on part of the Mediterranean coast, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d region. 'Azur, near Menton, between Nice and Fréjus and in Toulon, as well as in Corsica.

The whole island is considered an infected area, says the ministry.

Xylella fastidiosa attacks more than 200 plant species and is the subject of compulsory control supervised at European level, even if there is no curative treatment.

More than 70 species of insects can transport it and it does not always have the same impact depending on the strain, the plant and the ecosystem concerned, but it can cause the death of the plants it affects.

All agricultural production sectors are exposed to a risk of contamination (vines, olive trees, fruit trees, citrus fruits, alfalfa, ornamental species, aromatic plants, etc.).

The bacterium also attaches itself to uncultivated plants or species endemic to certain regions.

Society

"Today, there is no way to fight against" the bacteria that kills olive trees "," said a botanist

Planet

Victims of Xylella fastidiosa, three olive trees aged 200 to 250 years were cut down in Menton

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