COAG asks the Junta for a comprehensive plan against Thrips and aid for the hail damage

Thrips parvispinus now affects one hundred percent of the pepper crop in the province and biological control is not enough to stop it. This is what COAG Almería has conveyed to the Territorial Delegation of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, where it has called for extraordinary measures against phytosanitary pressure and climate damage that, according to the organization, compromise the viability of numerous farms. The agricultural organization asks the Regional Ministry to take an active role before the Ministry of Agriculture and the phytosanitary industry, including the companies that manufacture and register products, to promote the authorization of the necessary active substances. COAG advocates restoring the comprehensive fight that already made it possible to face other phytosanitary crises in Almería, combining biological and chemical tools with prevention and the elimination of outbreaks.

In the Los Vélez region, the wasp and the capricorn beetle are causing significant damage to almond plantations. COAG calls for adapting the requirements of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) "eco-schemes" for rainfed woody crops. Specifically, it asks to modify the tillage calendar on plots with slopes greater than 10 %, where work is currently not allowed between September 1 and April 1, and to allow uprooted plots to remain unplanted for between one year and a year and a half to break the parasite's cycle. It also demands authorization of effective active substances against the wasp and aid to compensate for uprooting. Regarding a possible biological pause, COAG maintains that it must have economic and legal guarantees and be regulated, coordinated and supervised by the Administration, with obligations also for the marketing sector. "It is not reasonable for obligations and sanctions to be established for the farmer while the marketing channel remains on the sidelines," said Andrés Góngora, provincial secretary of COAG Almería.

The organization has called for direct aid for those affected by the June 28 hail in Los Vélez, which left 1,068.94 hectares damaged by more than 30 %, prevented the cereal harvest and caused damage to rural roads. It also asks for aid for those affected by DANA Adam and a flood prevention plan. The meeting also addressed the agricultural use of reclaimed water, aid for damage caused by wildlife and the possible reprogramming of funds from the Andalusian Rural Development Plan (PDR), with priority for the incorporation of young farmers and the modernization of greenhouses. Representing the Delegation were the territorial delegate, Aránzazu Martín Moya, and her technical team; representing COAG were its provincial secretary, Andrés Góngora, the Organization secretary, Antonio Moreno, and representatives of the Provincial Executive.