The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) did not have to intervene at tire importer Dikabo from Assen after the discovery of (eggs of) tiger mosquitoes. The court of Amsterdam believes that it has not been clearly demonstrated that the company has violated the law.
The case was brought by the Stop Invasive Exotics platform, which demanded that the NVWA enforce it at ten tire companies in the Netherlands where (eggs of) tiger mosquitoes were found between 2018 and 2021. The inspection service refused because no violations were found during inspections of the companies.
Despite legal regulations, mosquitoes or mosquito eggs have been found at Dikabo in Assen for ten years in a row during the summer months, but according to the court it cannot be said with certainty that mosquitoes (eggs) have hitched a ride with old tires. According to the court, they may have come to the company in a different way.
Despite the fact that wet tires were found at several companies, despite a ban, the court finds it logical that the NVWA has not enforced. Only 1 to 2 percent of the tires at the companies turned out to be wet during inspections and the NVWA did not think that was enough reason to intervene. The judge agreed.
The Stop Invasive Exotics platform disagrees with the court’s judgment about both the wet tires and the way in which the mosquitoes (eggs) arrived at the companies. The platform finds it very unlikely that the eggs have traveled via holidaymakers or the cabin of trucks.
“The regulations state that all imported tires must be dry. And for good reason: one tire can contain dozens to hundreds of eggs, larvae or pupae of tiger mosquitoes, which can develop into adult mosquitoes. procreate,” the platform writes in a response.
The platform is appealing against the decision to the Council of State.
The tiger mosquito originates from Asia, but now also lives in Southern Europe due to piggybacking on freight transport. The mosquito can carry serious infectious diseases such as dengue and Zika. The NVWA wants to prevent the mosquito from establishing itself in the Netherlands and therefore carries out inspections at import companies.
Tiger mosquito eggs can hitch a ride in old car tires that companies import from countries where the mosquito occurs. The risk of this is greater when the tire is wet, because the eggs can survive in a small layer of water. Importers must therefore supply and store the tires dry.