The technical inspection services of the Territorial Delegation of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development of the Junta de Andalucía in Almería have carried out nearly 500 controls in just under a month to verify compliance with the mandatory crop removal protocol, in line with the resolution that establishes phytosanitary measures for the prevention and control of "Thrips parvispinus" or tobacco thrips, published approximately one month ago.
Sources from the Andalusian Administration have indicated to Europa Press that only around five percent of the inspections carried out -- about 25 controls -- have been "unfavorable" regarding the correct application of actions aimed at eliminating this pest, which particularly affects pepper crops.
However, the same sources have stressed that each inspection visit also includes a training component detailing the requirements of the removal protocol and the improvements that should be introduced. "The goal is to improve the situation, protect crop health, prevent the spread of pests, and ensure the profitability of the farms," they stated.
The pepper campaign is practically one hundred percent complete, so the Junta expects the effect of the measures adopted to curb thrips to be most noticeable in the next campaign, which is scheduled to begin between September and October.
In any case, the regional administration emphasizes the need to execute crop removal protocols in "optimal conditions" to prevent the spread not only of thrips but also of other pests and diseases that may affect the plantations.
The General Directorate of Agricultural and Livestock Production declared the thrips parvispinus pest in the provinces of Almería and Granada last April, and issued a resolution with "mandatory and recommended phytosanitary measures for prevention and control" against this plant disease, developed from the consensus reached in the technical expert panel.
In recent weeks, "reinforced control" has been established through three teams responsible for verifying that the practices included in the removal protocol are carried out correctly at the end of the cycle of pepper, cucumber, eggplant, zucchini, melon, or winter squash crops.
During the 2025/2026 campaign, an increase in the incidence of the thrips pest has been detected, especially in peppers, considered the "star product" of Almería, occupying about 12,000 hectares. This situation has forced the early removal of about 450 hectares, with a notable decrease in productive capacity.
Productivity has been reduced by around 1.5 to 1.7 kilos per square meter, according to the Junta's calculations, which has also noted an "important" depreciation of peppers between 20 and 25 percent on average, "when the normal is seven or eight percent," due to the aesthetic damage caused by the pest.
Although this drop in supply has boosted the prices of healthy crops as demand has remained, the severity of the problem has led the Junta to launch a line of aid worth three million euros for affected farmers.
The removal protocol also applies to other crops, with some such as tomatoes or green beans being excluded, as it is understood that they could "act as secondary hosts, contributing to the maintenance of the population of this thrips." This aims to minimize the impact of the pest for the next campaign.
Mandatory thrips control measures
The mandatory phytosanitary measures for the prevention and control of Thrips parvispinus in Almería and Granada focus on the removal protocol of crops that act as reservoirs for the pest, specifically peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, zucchini, melons, and watermelons in greenhouses.
Before crop removal, it is mandatory to ensure the closure of greenhouse side vents and windows, as well as to carry out "massive" trapping with chromatic plates, in the proportion of two blue plates for each yellow plate placed around the entire perimeter of the greenhouse. The minimum required is one hundred plates per one hundred linear meters of perimeter.
Likewise, it is mandatory to apply a phytosanitary treatment to the crop prior to its removal. Additionally, when a high presence of the pest is detected in the greenhouse biodiversity, a specific phytosanitary treatment must also be applied to it.
Applications must be carried out with plant protection products registered in the Official Registry of Plant Protection Products of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, respecting all the conditions of use set out on their labels.
Farmers are also obliged to give sufficient advance notice to the owners of adjacent farms so that they can take the measures they deem appropriate, keeping evidence of such notices for accreditation purposes before the Administration if necessary.
The protocol also includes the uprooting and removal or chopping of crop residues for incorporation into the soil. If chopping is chosen, it is recommended to do so in small fragments to promote the dehydration of the plant material, accompanying this task with a pass of machinery to facilitate its integration into the land.
It is also advisable to delay the transplanting of the next crop as much as possible in order to allow for the complete dehydration of the plant residues, which hinders the survival of the pest.
In case of removing the plant material, the carrier must ensure that it is transported in a waterproof container or similar, which must remain completely closed at all times, either by means of a lid, mesh with a minimum density of 20x10 threads/square centimeter or plastic.
In any case, plant residues must be deposited in authorized recycling plants and never in open fields to feed livestock or be abandoned in the environment.
Before transplanting or sowing the next crop, it will be necessary to carry out a cleaning and disinfection treatment of the greenhouse structure at those points that may act as a reservoir for the pest.
Additionally, in the areas of the greenhouse that have been a focus of the pest, soil treatments must be applied with plant protection products formulated based on the active substance diatomaceous earth, registered in the Official Registry of Plant Protection Products of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and used in accordance with the label instructions.
When conditions permit, soil solarization or biosolarization should be carried out. The use of plastic mulching is also recommended, with the aim of harming any pupae that may remain in the soil.