New European campaign to raise awareness among citizens about plant protection, plant health and preventing the arrival of pests

The European Food Safety Authority, the European Commission and 33 countries, including Spain, have launched the fourth and final edition of the #PlantHealth4Life programme to raise public awareness about plant protection, plant health and preventing the arrival of pests.

The campaign, aimed mainly at travellers, gardeners and families, seeks to highlight the close relationship between plant health and everyday life: from what we eat to how we travel, how we take care of the garden and do the shopping. In this latest edition, "PlantHealth4Life" builds on that momentum to encourage citizens across Europe to stay informed, spread the message and take simple actions that contribute to protecting plants, the environment and the economy.

The head of the Plant Health Unit of the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety of the European Commission, Sylvain Giraud, says "PlantHealth4Life is based on a fundamental principle that awareness drives action. The campaign stresses that protecting plant health means safeguarding our food, our environment and our future. "By engaging citizens across Europe, this campaign has laid a strong foundation that will continue to support efforts to protect plants far beyond the campaign itself," she says.

For his part, the head of the Environment, Plants and Ecotoxicology Unit of the European Food Safety Authority, Tobin Robinson, explains that "science helps us to understand the risks to plant health, but that is not enough: we need Europeans to apply this knowledge to their daily lives". "PlantHealth4Life" makes plant health accessible and relevant. "If we travel responsibly, buy responsibly and educate the new generations, we can all be part of the solution," he argues.

According to data from the European Food Safety Authority, plants make up 80% of the food we eat, they are also the basis of the diet of animals for human consumption and clean the air we breathe. In addition, plant health translates into good agricultural yields, which has an impact on food availability and prices.

The agency warns that factors such as climate change and human activities, such as trade and travel, are putting strong pressure on plants. In this context, the spread of plant pests and diseases can have devastating economic and environmental consequences.

European Food Safety Authority and the Ministry

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is an EU agency established in 2002 to provide impartial scientific advice to risk managers, as well as to communicate the risks associated with the food chain. In Spain, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food acts as the competent national authority for plant health.

Non official translation