Latvia, Markets and Companies

This is the first time this year that the disease has been confirmed in Latvia. Fireblight has been found to exist in samples that came from an apple tree and a pear tree in an orchard in Jelgava Region's Vilce County, which was affected by the disease already last year.

The Plant Protection Service will introduce several phytosanitary measures in the orchard and the surrounding area - the infected trees will be cut down and a buffer zone in a three-kilometer radius around the orchard will be designated.

So far this year, the Plant Protection Service has inspected 759 locations for fireblight.

The disease was first confirmed in Latvia in July 2007, when the disease was found in 26 areas in Zemgale, Riga, Latgale and Southern Kurzeme. Only one case of fireblight was registered in 2011, and no cases in 2012. Last year, however, the disease was confirmed in eight locations in Riga, Zemgale and Kurzeme provinces.

Fireblight is a contagious disease affecting apples pears, and some other members of the family "Rosaceae". It is a serious concern to producers of apples and pears. Under optimal conditions, it can destroy an entire orchard in a single growing season.