|
Listen to this article now
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The measures announced by the Canary Islands Government to control the phyloxera plague open the debate on whether they are, or not, excessive
The phylloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae) It is a parasite insect that attacks the roots of the vine, weakening her to provoke her death. It is the first thing you find when you ask what phylloxera is.. As follows, causes fear: Phylloxera destroyed a large part of European vineyards in the 19th century, causing one of the most serious agricultural crises in history.
little joke, therefore, upon detection of the bug in areas, for now, from Tenerife. The Government of the Canary Islands recognizes that “To date, a total of 697 prospecting with a result of 667 plants free of this organism against 30 in which its presence has been detected, most of them on abandoned land. Only two affected plants were found on a farm in production”.
Faced with this, the measures. The regional executive, among other issues, has prohibited, for an indefinite period, “the movement of vine plant material, in any of its forms (plants, pegs, shoots, cuttings, patterns) between the different islands of the Archipelago and between the different areas of the same island, as well as belongings, teams, machinery, boxes, etc. and vineyard soil. The movement of grapes between different geographical areas of different Denominations of Origin of Tenerife is also prohibited and will be subject to authorization from the Ministry., prior issuance of the movement guide by the competent authority. Furthermore, the order establishes, that the application of eradication and control treatments will be mandatory in the demarcated areas, as well as communication to the plant health services in case of detecting symptoms or presence of this organism.”.
The debate on measures against phylloxera
In these moments, the Government recognizes, There are three delimited areas of action in the municipalities of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tacoronte and La Matanza, Although Tegueste analyzes have also been carried out, El Sauzal, Victory and Saint Ursula “in which the presence of phylloxera has not been detected”.
In recent weeks, prospecting work has intensified, especially in Valle de Guerra. (The Lagoon) and Tacoronte “where all the vineyard crops will be prospected because, so far, It is the area in which the majority of positive cases have been located”.
Of the thirty positive locations detected, four have been eliminated, also applying a phytosanitary treatment to the soil; eleven are currently being treated, and fifteen remain pending action, “which will take place in the next few days”.
To lay eyes, all the measures seem few compared to the magnitude of what can come upon us. However, some experts question them. The voices, coming from the sector itself made up of winegrowers and winemakers, They question the appropriateness of not allowing the transfer of fresh grapes “since it does not transmit the plague”.
There are those who, besides, They question the administration's own agility by demanding technical reports “that they will not be able to generate due to the volume and lack of means”.
What the Government of the Canary Islands says:
The Minister of Agriculture, Cattle raising, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty of the Government of the Canary Islands, Narvay Quintero, reported today Wednesday, 20 of August, together with the vice-counselor of the Primary Sector of the Government of the Canary Islands, Eduardo García and the island advisor of the Primary Sector of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Valentín González, of the new measures to control the grapevine phylloxera outbreak (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae) detected in Tenerife, which includes the prohibition of the movement of fresh grapes and plant material from this crop, for an indefinite period and in any of its forms, both between different islands and between the different wine regions of Tenerife.
In addition to declaring the fight against this organization of public utility, this order, scheduled for publication in the coming days, includes the procedures to prevent the spread of the pathogen by establishing a delimited area of 500 meters around each of the affected plants, as well as an additional perimeter of 1 km radius in which the survey of all vine plants will be carried out, in line with the actions that, since the detection of the first case, The crews of the public company Gestión del Medio Rural are developing on the ground (GMR Canarias) in coordination with the Plant Health Service of the Government of the Canary Islands.
Narvay Quintero highlighted that “it is a dynamic document that will be updated to adapt to the evolution of this harmful organism.”, since the situation requires that “agile measures be adopted based on the daily monitoring that is being carried out”. "Besides, Collaboration between administrations is essential, which is why we are in permanent contact with the Tenerife Cabildo., as well as through meetings with those responsible for agriculture and all the Regulatory Councils of the Protected Designations of Origin of wines., both from Tenerife and the entire archipelago, to act jointly in the face of a situation that we will only be able to face successfully if we act in a coordinated manner.”.
In this sense, Quintero highlighted the telematic meeting held early in the morning with the general director of Health of Agri-Food Production of the Ministry of Agriculture, Emilio Garcia, and with the general secretary of Agrarian Resources and Food Security, Ana Rodriguez. Protection measures were requested in line with the new regional regulations., such as the prohibition of importing wine grapes into the Canary Islands from areas affected by phylloxera. In addition, Extraordinary financial support was demanded to meet the costs of prospecting work., destruction and treatment, as well as the increase in personnel and equipment of the Border Inspection Points of the Archipelago, and strengthening inspections and controls.
The island counselor, Valentín González, He stressed that since the detection of the first case, work has been done “with maximum transparency, consensus with the entire sector and collaboration from all administrations and Regulatory Councils”. He also highlighted the “technical rigor” of the order scheduled for publication in the coming days., which will be “mandatory compliance for all winegrowers”, both for those who belong to a DO and for the rest of the producers.
During this year's harvest campaign, The transfer of fresh grapes from Tenerife to any other island is prohibited under any circumstances.. The movement of grapes between islands is also prohibited, as well as between these and Tenerife; although in these two cases, and exceptionally, The Ministry may authorize it, always under strict health control conditions and after obtaining the movement guide and technical report issued by the competent authority..
In this way, The movement of vine plant material is prohibited indefinitely (Vitis spp.), in any of its forms (plants, pegs, shoots, cuttings, patterns) between the different islands of the Archipelago and between the different areas of the same island, as well as belongings, teams, machinery, boxes, etc. and vineyard soil. The movement of grapes between different geographical areas of different Denominations of Origin of Tenerife is also prohibited and will be subject to authorization from the Ministry., prior issuance of the movement guide by the competent authority. Furthermore, the order establishes, among other measures, that the application of eradication and control treatments will be mandatory in the demarcated areas, as well as communication to the plant health services in case of detecting symptoms or presence of this organism..
In addition to the application of appropriate phytosanitary treatments, an anti-weed mesh must be placed., as well as the 'in situ' destruction of infested plant material that, if the owner decides to carry out by his own means, must be supervised by an official from the General Directorate of Agriculture. In addition, The planting of new vines is prohibited for a minimum period of 12 months in infected areas.
Prospecting carried out
To date, a total of 697 prospecting with a result of 667 plants free of this organism against 30 in which its presence has been detected, most of them on abandoned land. Only two affected plants were found on a farm in production.
At this time there are three delimited areas of action in the municipalities of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tacoronte and La Matanza, Although Tegueste analyzes have also been carried out, El Sauzal, La Victoria and Santa Úrsula in which no presence of phylloxera has been detected.
In recent weeks, prospecting work has intensified, especially in Valle de Guerra. (The Lagoon) and Tacoronte where all the vineyard crops will be prospected because, so far, It is the area in which the majority of positive cases have been located.
Of the thirty positive locations detected, four have been eliminated, also applying a phytosanitary treatment to the soil; eleven are currently being treated, and fifteen remain pending action, which will take place in the next few days
Phyloxera of the life
Vine phylloxera is a harmful organism that causes damage to the leaves of vines through the formation of galls caused by the bites of this insect that are visible on the underside of the leaves and correspond to chlorotic lesions visible on the upper surface..
It can also affect the roots., where it produces nodules and tuberosities linked to said bites that, if they reach the main root, will cause the host plant to wilt and eventually die within two to five years after infestation. Although in the cases of Tenerife its presence has not been detected in that part of the plants.
Until the detection of the first case at the end of July, the Canary Islands were free of Daktulosphaira vitifoliae. This status was maintained thanks to the validity of the Order of 12 March 1987, by which the phytosanitary regulations relating to importation are established for the Canary archipelago, export and transit of vegetables and plant products, and prohibits the import of vine plant material (Vine L.) except fruits and seeds, originating from all countries, including peninsular Spain.
