The Petition of residents of Leicester East,
Declares that the EU ban on the importation of Alphonso mangoes from India is unjust, that petitioners are anxious about the hugely detrimental impact that this ban will have on the livelihoods of millions of people in, and on the economies of, both the UK and India, and further declares that there has been a significant lack of consultation with both the Parliament and the affected people.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs do everything possible to reverse this ban, to develop an action plan on how best to progress in this matter and to better communicate with the people affected.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Keith Vaz, Official Report, 7 May 2014; Vol. 580, c. 245.]
[P001348]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
The Government thank the petitioners for raising this issue in the House of Commons.
The temporary ban on the importation of five plant products, including mangoes, from India was introduced on 26 April. This will be reviewed in December 2015. However, an earlier review of the ban is possible but this can only be achieved if the Indian Government can satisfy itself and the European Commission that exporters are meeting the EU’s import requirements. Although the imports in question are not significant (e.g. the mangoes account for c 8.5% of mango imports into the UK), the Government recognise that they are of economic and cultural significance to the Asian community in the UK. Defra is therefore liaising with the Indian High Commission on what support the UK can offer to India to help it ensure compliance with the EU requirements.
Defra has taken extensive actions on this issue. Before the ban was introduced on 26 April, when it was first mentioned as an option Defra took immediate steps to discuss the issue with the main trade association, the Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC). Since the ban, Defra’s Secretary of State has had discussions with the Indian High Commissioner and officials have also met with the National Asian Business Association (NABA). In May, Lord de Mauley, Defra’s Minister with responsibility for plant health, chaired a roundtable meeting which included the NABA and FPC, and representatives from the Indian High Commission (IHC). A follow up meeting has been arranged for July.
At the roundtable meeting, Lord de Mauley reaffirmed the Secretary of State’s commitment to facilitating communication between the Indian Government and the European Commission. He also offered that Defra’s Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) could, if requested, provide technical assistance and training to the Indian plant health authorities. Fera has sent a draft training programme to the IHC and is awaiting confirmation of acceptance as well as details of participants.
The ban followed a long series of exchanges between the European Commission and the Indian authorities because of frequent findings of harmful pests in these products over several years. An increase in interceptions of harmful pests on produce from India prompted the Commission to ask its audit team, the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO), to investigate. In 2010 and 2013, these audits revealed major shortcomings in India’s phytosanitary export certification system. Despite assurances and action taken by India, the number of interceptions did not reduce; in 2013 there were more EU interceptions of harmful organisms from India than any other third country. Whilst the ban is an emergency action rather than a long-planned measure, it comes after the signals sent by the negative audit reports in 2010 and 2013 gave notice to India to address the major shortcomings identified.
Plant pests and diseases such as those intercepted from India in recent years can cause serious damage. The UK’s glasshouse crops—an industry worth over £300 million per annum—are at risk from such pests, which were found in over 200 consignments of fruits and vegetables from India imported into the EU in 2013. Protecting plant health is one of Defra’s highest priorities and addressing the threat of plant pests and diseases and the damage they cause to the UK’s economy and environment is a key objective.
The FVO has arranged a further audit of India’s export systems in September 2014. If this concludes that the necessary measures have been put in place to meet EU requirements, the UK will argue for the ban to be lifted before the current end-date of December 2015. This would require a proposal from the European Commission and the agreement of member states.
The Government hope that imports will resume as quickly as possible and will continue to work with the European Commission and other Member States to facilitate this, subject to India’s exporters and Government showing that the necessary standards are being achieved.