– GOVERNMENT OF THE CANARY ISLANDS
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 16 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Food Sovereignty of the Canary Islands government, Narvay Quintero, chaired a technical follow-up meeting on the management of phylloxera on Tuesday. The meeting addressed the current situation of the pest and reviewed the actions taken since its detection.
Among other matters, the completion of the second round of surveys conducted across the Canary Islands was highlighted, yielding only four new positive cases.
The minister explained that these new cases were found between April and May in abandoned plots located in the ‘zero zone’, which falls under the Protected Designation of Origin Tacoronte-Acentejo.
He noted that these results “demonstrate the effectiveness of the control and eradication measures we have been implementing over the past year in collaboration with the Regulatory Councils of the Protected Designations of Origin for Canary Wines and the island councils, preventing the pest from spreading to other areas of the Archipelago.”
Specifically, he referred to detection efforts, stating that to date, a total of 9,610 surveys have been carried out, of which 1,831 pertain to this year. Only these four cases have been identified this year, compared to 89 positive results last year, all traced back to Tenerife, with the material already treated and removed.
Of the surveys conducted this year, 1,054 were in Tenerife, the only island still affected by phylloxera. Other islands reported the following numbers: 346 in Lanzarote, 142 in La Palma, 110 in Gran Canaria, 71 in El Hierro, 67 in Fuerteventura, and 41 in La Gomera, as noted by the ministry.
In this regard, Quintero announced that “given the absence of cases outside the demarcated zone and the controlled situation, we will begin working on modifying the legislation to ease phytosanitary measures for the upcoming harvest”, referring to the Order of 20 August 2025, declaring the fight against vine phylloxera in the Canary Islands as a public utility and establishing urgent control and eradication measures.
A “VERY TOUGH” HARVEST
“The previous harvest was very tough on farmers, but we managed to save it with strict controls tailored to the needs of the time and to a situation that was unknown back then,” he emphasised.
During this meeting, which also included the participation of the Deputy Minister for the Primary Sector, Eduardo García; technical staff from the Plant Health Service and from the public company Gestión del Medio Rural de Canarias, GMR Canarias; as well as representatives from the Regulatory Councils of the Protected Designations of Origin for Canary Wines, island councils, Agrarian Professional Organisations, and the Nature Protection Service, Seprona, among others, the effects of the measures implemented since the first detection of the pest in July 2025 were also discussed.
The highlights of the study on the current state of viticulture in the Canary Islands, which forms the basis of the Strategic Plan for Vine in the Canary Islands, a commitment made by the Canary government following the pest’s detection and which has been in development since last year, were also presented.
Additionally, actions taken by the Canary Islands government since the detection of this harmful organism were reviewed.
Among other measures, Quintero highlighted the trials conducted with phylloxera-resistant vine rootstocks, focused on analysing the agronomic performance of various rootstocks of traditional Canary varieties and their adaptation to the different soil and climate conditions across the archipelago.
PLOT SIZES OF 2,500 SQUARE METRES
This initiative is being conducted on plots of approximately 2,500 square metres whose owners have voluntarily agreed to participate, linked to the Protected Designations of Origin for Canary Wines, located on the islands of Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura.
The ministry covers the cost of the actions, undertakes the grafting through specialised personnel, and conducts technical follow-up throughout the project’s duration, which is estimated to last five years.
Furthermore, financial compensation has been planned for participating farmers, with an aid of €4,000 during the first year for the implementation phase, and an additional €1,000 for each of the subsequent four years, designated for the maintenance of each trial plot.
The minister also indicated that the work carried out by the Canary Islands government falls under the national programme for the application of phytosanitary regulations: Phylloxera Contingency Plan, developed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, which establishes the foundations for addressing any future eventualities.
This is the first plan of its kind to be implemented in Spain and encompasses many of the actions and measures executed in recent months.
In this context, Quintero explained that the Canary Islands are currently in the “eradication phase”, which could make the archipelago the first European region to eradicate this pest, as it has not been fully eradicated elsewhere, though it is contained.
