A comparison is needed on the anti-Xylella plan, approved without any sharing with the agricultural world, to photograph the real state of the spread of the disease, the results of the surveillance program in progress, the number of infected plants in the areas closest to the free area, on the course of the felling. This is what Coldiretti Puglia affirms, which in a letter to the president of the Region Michele Emiliano and to the Councilor for Agriculture Donato Pentassuglia stigmatizes the lack of concertation on the anti-Xylella Plan, underlining that the Plan is not a mere technical-administrative tool, rather an element very important for evaluating the future of regional olive growing.
It is urgent – Coldiretti Puglia adds – also to verify which and how many checks have been carried out to fight the carrier, how many checks have been carried out and any infringements contested against those who have not carried out the mandatory fight.
“We do not dispute the current methods of combating Xylella fastidiosa, which have their basis in monitoring, felling the affected plants and fighting the vector, but the lack of discussion on verifying the implementation of the previous one does not allow us to draw up a objective judgment on the real state of the trend of bacteriosis on the regional territory and to remedy any gaps that may have been highlighted”, insists Savino Muraglia, president of Coldiretti Puglia.
The public notice has not yet been issued – Coldiretti Puglia insists – for the distribution of the 5 million euros provided for by art. 3 of the Interministerial Decree n. 2484 of 06/03/2020 (Extraordinary plan for the regeneration of olive trees in Puglia) for the Municipalities; nor of the several times requested compensations to the producers for the compulsory fight actions, indeed in the Plan this provision is completely eliminated with respect to the previous document.
“The 5 million euros must be immediately transferred to public bodies – urges Pietro Piccioni, director of Coldiretti Puglia – to implement the mandatory phytosanitary practices on uncultivated agricultural surfaces, public green areas, roadsides, canals, state-owned areas, for stop the advance of the killer bacterium which affects 8 thousand square kilometers of territory, 40%. Among other things, an obligation is imposed on farmers which is in effect a public service of protection and protection of the rest of the Italian and European territory from a very dangerous quarantine agent “.
The Plan still does not satisfy – says Coldiretti Puglia – the need to safeguard the Piana degli Olivi Monumentali, moreover foreseen by the regional law n. 4/2017, which is almost like an appendix to the same and on which, even in this case, no specific information was obtained, on the results of the monitoring carried out and on the status of the bacteriosis.
Meanwhile, 3 years after the publication of the Interministerial Decree of 06/03/2020, the better known 300 million euro extraordinary plan for the regeneration of olive trees in Puglia, no resources have been liquidated – Coldiretti Puglia denounces – to farmers for replanting of the dried olive trees which would have made it possible to start working and producing again after the serious crisis caused by Xylella. But all this commitment is thwarted by the fact that the investigation of the files, entrusted to Arif, goes very slowly, so much so that only in the next few days (almost three years after the date of publication of the Public Notice) do we have news of the publication of an initial financing decree, for around one million euros to an initial list of companies.
Therefore, a verification of the state of things is necessary as soon as possible – concludes Coldiretti Puglia – to respond more adequately to the objective of defending the rest of the olive growing of the Puglia Region from the advance of bacterial disease, with an appropriate support action of a national consultation, to reinforce the regional action in this arduous task and to supply the most adequate information on the state of development of the bacteriosis and on the adequacy of application of the control procedures.
Thursday 30 March 2023
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