The Canary Islands Government announced on Friday the issuance of an order declaring the presence of the vine phylloxera pest (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae Fitch) in the region due to an outbreak located in the Acentejo area of Tenerife. The government has classified the fight against this pest as a public utility and has adopted “urgent phytosanitary measures” for eradication and control to prevent its spread.
According to the announcement, in order to preserve the viticultural heritage of the Canary Islands and to prevent the pest from spreading to other areas of Tenerife or other islands, immediate phytosanitary measures are necessary. These include the restriction of the movement of plant material and fresh grapes. The order comes into effect immediately upon publication in the Official Bulletin of the Canary Islands.
These measures have widespread support from the sector, as expressed in recent days by various regulatory councils and the Asaga Canarias.
However, the Association of Wine Growers and Vintners of the Canary Islands (Avibo) issued a statement today expressing “deep concern regarding the management being executed by the administration following the detection of the pest.” They describe the measures as disproportionate and even “incoherent.”
Criticism of measures against phylloxera
The association firmly states that the adoption of populist, unfounded, and disproportionate measures, which stray from scientific and economic criteria, threatens the viability of a sector that ranks second in cultivation area across the archipelago, with nearly 7,000 hectares and over 8,000 wine growers.
Avibo asserts that the requirement for a technical report for all grape harvests intended for wineries outside traditional areas is impractical operationally. “It would require inspecting over 1,000 plots during the peak harvest period without the necessary human resources to accomplish this. Such a measure, rather than providing solutions, could risk collapsing the ongoing campaign,” they state.
Furthermore, the association claims that “according to official data,” only 30 infected vines have been detected within a very limited radius, and most are located on a land owned by the government (The Agricultural Training School of Tacoronte).
Sources from the Ministry of Agriculture refute this information, stating that there is only one affected plantation at that location, which corresponds to the map included in the order published today.
Avibo believes that “in no case are indiscriminate restrictions justified between areas where phylloxera is not present, let alone impossible-to-execute measures,” considering the limited size of the outbreak comprising only 30 plantations, compared to the 3,000 hectares of vineyards and over 10 million vines that, according to their data, exist in Tenerife.
Prohibition on movement of fresh grapes
The order stipulates that during this year’s harvesting campaign, it is prohibited to move fresh grapes from Tenerife to any other island in the archipelago. Additionally, movement from other islands to Tenerife, as well as between them, is prohibited.
The Ministry may authorise the movement of fresh grapes from other islands to Tenerife, as well as between the islands themselves—excluding Tenerife—always under strict phytosanitary control conditions and with prior authorisation for the movement issued by the General Directorate of Agriculture.
Moreover, the regulation requires the local councils to adopt hunting measures to prevent the spread of phylloxera while the pest declaration remains in effect, particularly concerning the entry of hunters and their dogs into the designated area.
