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The Cabildo of Lanzarote and the Regulatory Council of the DO Vinos de Lanzarote approve a package of urgent measures to prevent the entry of the pest
The Agriculture and Livestock Area of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, directed by the island president himself, Oswaldo Betancort, in coordination with the Regulatory Council of the Denomination of Origin Wines of Lanzarote, has prepared the first roadmap with specific measures for the prevention of phylloxera on the island, after its recent detection in vineyards in Tenerife.
The document includes immediate actions that involve the administrations, winegrowers and wineries, and includes the creation of an island monitoring commission to analyze the evolution of this threat and guarantee maximum coordination between institutions and the sector..
Among the short-term measures is the request to strengthen controls at the Border Inspection Point to ensure strict compliance with the Ministerial Order of 12 March 1987, establishing for the Canary Islands the phytosanitary regulations relating to imports, export and transit of vegetables and plant products. This aspect is considered key to preventing the entry of the pest..
In addition, Specialized technical personnel will begin prospecting in abandoned vineyards in Lanzarote, since almost the 100% of the 18 cases detected in Tenerife have appeared in disused plots, where lack of monitoring facilitates the spread of pests.
The president of the Lanzarote Cabildo has stressed the importance of acting quickly in approving this roadmap, “which demonstrates the firm commitment of the Cabildo and the Regulatory Council with the protection of our vineyard. The Lanzarote vineyard is a unique heritage in the world, part of our identity and economic engine through wine and wine tourism. That is why we must be especially diligent and act with collective responsibility to safeguard it against any threat.”.
Also, Betancort has reiterated the call to winegrowers, wineries and the general population so that they do not introduce plant material from other islands or territories and to actively collaborate in the early detection of any suspicious symptoms..
“Prevention is our best tool. We have an exemplary and committed sector, and we trust that, working together, We will be able to keep Lanzarote free of phylloxera”, the island president has added.
Exceptionalism in the face of the scarce harvest
The president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, has sent an official letter to the Ministry of Agriculture, Cattle raising, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty of the Government of the Canary Islands requesting that winegrowers on the island be exempted from the minimum yield requirement of 400 kilos per hectare in the campaign 2025 of Action I.3 Aid per hectare for the maintenance of vines intended for the production of wines with Protected Designation of Origin (D.O.P) provided for in the POSEI.
The request is based on the drastic reduction of this year's island harvest 2025, which already reaches losses greater than 60% due to poor sprouting and high temperatures, according to data collected by the Cabildo.
“It is our duty to be next to the winegrowers, whether they are professional or not, because we talk not only about agricultural economics, but of a crop that in Lanzarote is also identity, heritage and landscape conservation”, Oswaldo Betancort has highlighted. “The exceptional situation that the island vineyard is going through requires sensitivity and institutional commitment. We cannot allow, in addition to suffering a historic decline in production, "Our winegrowers are penalized in access to aid that is vital for their support.".
The island president has highlighted, besides, the importance of this request being processed urgently, since the POSEI framework itself contemplates the possibility of applying this exception at the discretion of the aid-instructing body.. In addition, recalled that the Lanzarote Council will provide the annual report in January regarding the incidents and damages caused to agricultural production., document that will support the requested exceptionality with technical data.
Betancort trusts in the “sensitivity and commitment” of the regional Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Sovereignty, Narvay Quintero, to respond to this request that affects a strategic sector in Lanzarote. “I am convinced that the Government of the Canary Islands will understand the dimension of this problem and will argue for a measure of justice for those who keep a unique agricultural landscape alive thanks to the cultivation of a world-class grape”, concludes.
With this and other measures implemented in recent months, The Cabildo of Lanzarote emphasizes its commitment to the interests of the island countryside to guarantee the continuity of a crop that, beyond its economic value, constitutes one of the pillars of the cultural and landscape identity of the island.
