Agriculture transferred to the Bureau of Plant Health “all the information” of the Xylella case in Almería

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development has transferred to the Bureau of Plant Health “all available information” of the isolated case of Xylella fastidiosa detected in ornamental plant of the species Polygala myrtifolia in a nursery of El Ejido (Almería).

This forum has been convened, as has been expressed by the Deputy Minister, Ricardo Domínguez, within the “firm commitment to transparency”, the root of the positive result confirmed by the National Reference Laboratory of phytopathogenic bacteria and found in the framework of the prospection work and surveillance established by the National and Andalusian Contingency Plans that are executed since 2015 in Andalusia.

The Bureau of Plant Health is composed of the agricultural organizations (COAG, UPA and Asaja), Agri-food Cooperatives, the Professional Associations of Agronomists and Agricultural Technicians, the Ministry of Environment and the dependent bodies of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Institute of Agrarian Training and Fishing of Andalusia (Ifapa) and the Agency of Agrarian and Fishing Management of Andalusia (Agapa). Prior to the meeting, there was also a meeting of the Scientific Advisory Group, as already stated by the head of the department, Rodrigo Sánchez Haro, “for all the steps that remained in the rigor and scientific knowledge.”

The vice-councilor calls for calm after the appearance of the bacterium in the ornamental plant of an El Ejido nursery and points to an eradication strategy.

Ricardo Domínguez, accompanied by the Director General of Agricultural and Livestock Production, Rafael Olvera, has insisted on the message of calm after reiterating that the appearance of the bacteria has occurred in a place with physical protection against insect vectors. At this point, both have pointed out that the strategy, agreed with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment, is moving towards the eradication of the bacteria. “We have the support of the best experts in Xylella, we have the necessary material and human resources and we will take the appropriate steps,” they have pointed out before the questions raised by the representatives of the entities that make up the Board. Not in vain, within the work of constant vigilance developed by the Ministry to prevent and combat this problem have been carried out since 2015 over 9,300 analyzes of plant material.

With regard to this specific case, produced in a nursery in which the plants were grown in a completely protected place against the entry of possible insect vectors (which could transmit the disease), the technical staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development has taken more than 400 samples of plant material sensitive to Xylella (completely harmless to humans), in which three of a total of more than 30,000 plants have been detected. From the moment of suspicion, in addition, precautionary measures were taken such as the immobilization of all plant material located in the nursery, restriction of access to it as well as intensive sampling of plant material present in the greenhouse and its surroundings. All these works and the results of the analyzes carried out have been negative to the presence of the bacteria.

Intensive surveillance

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development, which works on the determination of traceability to check the origin of the bacteria detected in Almeria, is addressing with the Ministry the preparation of a solid technical justification that allows to benefit from point 6 of Article 4 of the Community Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/789, which provides for the possibility that, in the event of detection of Xylella fastidiosa, the establishment of a Demarcated Area is not immediately carried out, and intensive surveillance in the radius of one kilometer of the nursery for two years.

In parallel, as it has been communicated to the Bureau of Plant Health, it has proceeded to the adoption of a series of mandatory phytosanitary measures aimed at the eradication of the bacteria and include the elimination and destruction of all plant material that It is found in the greenhouse involved. To this end, the valuation of the same and the processing of the corresponding compensation that compensates the losses to which the producer is going to have to face is being carried out, measure for which the Ministry has a specific budget. Likewise, phytosanitary treatments will also be carried out on farms other than greenhouses near the affected nursery, aimed at the elimination of possible vector insects.

Research and training

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development has intensified measures aimed at the prevention and eradication of Xylella fastidiosa in Andalusia. Thus, the workforce has increased to guarantee the maximum plant health of the crops of the community with the incorporation of 17 new professionals (agronomists and agricultural technical engineers) or the start-up, given the importance of acting in the shortest possible time , of a service of attention and consultation through the telephone 955 059 898 and the electronic mail info.xylella@juntadeandalucia.es, as well as a system to alert before any suspicion through the mobile application of the Network of Alert and Phytosanitary Information (RAIF).

Similarly, the Ministry has reinforced with a Biosecurity Laboratory equipment of the Institute of Sustainable Agriculture, located in the Alameda del Obispo center (Córdoba), belongs to the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and is jointly managed with the Ifapa In addition, the Jaén Plant Health Laboratory will be incorporated into the network of centers that have the necessary analytical instruments to detect the bacteria with the acquisition of a computer for analysis by the PCR technique (analytical by molecular techniques). A budget of two million euros has also been reserved specifically for the fight against this disease.

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