Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture (COA) has imposed a temporary ban on apple imports from France, after reportedly discovering codling moth larvae in a recent shipment.
This is the first time codling moths have been discovered in an apple consignment from Europe, the COA said.
The codling moth affects apple, pear, quince and walnut-producing regions in Europe, Asia and North America, and could have a significant effect on the local industry if it reached Taiwan.
Officials at the council's Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine said the larvae were found on Tuesday in a shipment containing 1,029 crates of Gala apples. The find was identified as codling moth larvae by visual inspection and DNA analysis.
Quarantine regulations require the bureau to destroy the shipment or return it to the country of origin. French authorities have received a request to suspend apple exports to Taiwan until they identify the cause and take measures to remedy the situation.
Taiwan imported 586 tonnes of apples from France last season. Taiwanese consumers eat around 115,000t of the fruit annually.
