2023-12-14 01:48:00
Pomegranates. Credit: DR
The European Commission has confirmed the first interception of a shipment of pomegranates infested with the False codling moth (Thaumatotibia leucotreta) coming from Morocco which, until now, was considered a zone free of this quarantine scourge.
In Spain, the Valencian Association of Farmers (AVA-ASAJA) expressed its “extreme concern about the very serious phytosanitary risk” that this poses. The organization also called on the European Union “to immediately open an investigation to verify the true extent of the threat and, if necessary, take appropriate measures to prevent this pest from reaching Europe.”
The False codling moth (moth) is devastating to dozens of crops and tree species. “Its entry and spread in the EU would result in an average loss of 26% of citrus production. It would also cause serious damage to other agricultural products such as stone fruits, apples, pears, avocados, vines, olives, persimmons, pomegranates, peppers, tomatoes and eggplants. Its great capacity for expansion becomes evident on the African continent, where the pest is already present in many countries such as Kenya and Zambia (the EU detected the butterfly in roses coming from both destinations last month), as well as in South Africa (the EU has implemented a cold treatment for South African oranges precisely to stop the arrival of the butterfly).”
“We are talking about a very dangerous quarantine organism, capable of spreading quickly and across a wide variety of crops. If it was found in a shipment of Moroccan pomegranates, it is almost certain that it can also be found in other crops in Morocco. Given the numerous exports of fruits and vegetables that Morocco sends to the EU, particularly via Spain, there is a very high risk that this pest will enter and spread to all production that is susceptible to it,” declared the president of AVA-ASAJA, Cristóbal Aguado.
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