The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced that it has released an additional US$1.75m (€2.1bn) in Farm Bill funding to prevent the spread of European grapevine moth in California.
As detection numbers continue to grow in the state, APHIS, the California Department of Food and Agriculture and county officials are stepping up work to determine infestation boundaries and put controlling measures in place.
'After increased detections of the pest in California in recent weeks, it is clear that additional funding is needed to ensure we can respond quickly and effectively to protect California’s grape and wine industries,' said APHIS administrator Cindy Smith. 'APHIS has identified available funding from section 10201 of the 2008 Farm Bill that can be dedicated to stopping the devastating spread of this pest at an early stage.'
The goal of funding is to address the spread of the moth before it has the opportunity to spread and requires greater resources from government agencies and growers to manage.
A technical working group comprising US and international European grapevine moth experts has also been set up by APHIS to study the situation in California, review current data and recommend science-based response strategies.
No comments yet