The Governing Council has given the green light to spending of 5.3 million euros aimed at intensifying the work of monitoring and containment of the plague "Xylella fastidiosa", as well as strengthening surveillance and tracking of quarantine organisms and other plagues that affect the Balearic Islands.
These actions will be carried out through an assignment to the public company Tragsa, with an execution period of five years between 1 January 2027 and 31 December 2031, as the Executive’s spokesperson, Antoni Costa, has detailed at the press conference held after the Governing Council.
The new assignment guarantees continuity and reinforcement of the containment strategy for "Xylella fastidiosa" in the Islands, where the bacterium has already been detected in Mallorca, Menorca and Eivissa.
Formentera continues to be the only island free of positive cases, which makes it a priority to maintain and strengthen surveillance and survey tasks to prevent its arrival.
"Xylella fastidiosa" is a quarantine phytopathogenic bacterium that can damage numerous plant species of agricultural, forestry and ornamental interest, including key crops for the archipelago such as the almond tree, the vine or the olive tree.
Since its presence was first confirmed in Mallorca in 2016, the official laboratories have been recording an increase in both positive cases and the number of host species, reaching 38 different plants affected across all the islands.
Given this scenario, the project includes a broad package of measures that is not limited to felling or removing infected plants.
Among the main lines of action are surveillance and survey programs based on risk; control of the insect vectors responsible for transmission of the bacterium; phytosanitary treatments and specific work on vegetation; systematic sampling in crops and nurseries, and monitoring movements of plant material.
In addition, inspections of professional operators will be intensified and control of the entry and exit of plants through ports, airports and other strategic points in the archipelago will be tightened, in order to minimize the introduction or spread of plagues.
One of the priority areas of the assignment is strengthening research on “Xylella fastidiosa”. Studies are planned on the epidemiology of the bacterium, the insect vectors that spread it, the resistance of the different plant varieties, new diagnostic techniques, thermotherapy, and the various strategies for managing the disease.
The work includes field trials, especially in vineyards and almond groves, the capture and monitoring of vectors, as well as the maintenance of the facilities and greenhouses dedicated to research.
The project will also serve to support the Laboratorio Oficial de Sanidad Vegetal de Baleares (Losvib) in the processing and diagnosis of samples and in the implementation of new analytical methodologies.
In parallel, work will continue on the development of digital tools that will facilitate the management of inspections in the field, the georeferencing of interventions, the traceability of samples, and the exploitation of data, with the aim of having more useful information for decision-making.
Strengthening surveillance against new pests
The project is not limited to the quarantine plant pathogen bacterium, but will also make it possible to improve early detection and control of other quarantine organisms, priority pests, and emerging threats that may affect agriculture, forest ecosystems, or ornamental plants in the Balearic Islands.
If new harmful organisms are detected, surveillance, inspection, sampling, diagnosis, delimitation, and control actions can be activated immediately, in addition to any emergency measures that may be necessary.
Finally, the assignment includes outreach, awareness-raising, and knowledge-transfer actions aimed both at professionals in the agricultural sector and at nurseries, gardening centers, travelers, and the general population, focusing on prevention and early detection of plant pests.