Teulada-Moraira vines safe from deadly bacterium

TEULADA-MORAIRA town hall hosted a talk on developments in combatting Xylella Fastidiosa.
The deadly bacterium was confirmed in 2017 in a Guadalest almond grove although Spain’s first cases were detected the previous year in Baleares.
EU guidelines require all trees to be eliminated within a 100-metre radius of an infected tree, a directive bitterly opposed and resented by local growers.
Since then, the bacterium has spread to the Marina Alta and the talk was attended by officials from Lliber, Gata, Senija, Benissa, Jalon and Benitachell town halls.
All have trees affected by Xylella Fastidiosa and in Teulada-Moraira’s case, a September 8 inspection revealed 37 infected plots.
Vicente Dalmau, from the Generalitat’s Health department and representatives from state-owned Tragsa, active in rural areas, explained that 11,089 samples have been taken from trees, vines and shrubs since 2018.  Analyses revealed that no Marina Alta vines were affected.
The Generalitat and Tragsa representatives also confirmed that the containment zone around an infected tree has now been reduced to a radius of 50 metres.
“It was a very productive and interesting meeting,” Teulada-Moraira’s Agriculture councillor Alejandro Llobell said afterwards.  “We are also satisfied with the results, which are very positive for our municipality.”