Spain: The detection of the false moth plague in Morocco puts the Valencian citrus sector on alert

Morocco sets off another alarm in Spanish citrus farming. The plague of the false moth ('Taumatotobia leucoreta' by its technical name), one of the most devastating for various fruit and vegetable crops along with HLB or 'greening', has just been detected in a first interception carried out by Commission technicians Europe in a port of the old continent - not yet announced - in a shipment of pomegranates from the Alawite country. The false moth hits the South African citrus industry hard and has also been detected in Tunisia, Egypt and Israel The false moth catastrophically affects dozens of crops and tree species. Its entry and spread in the EU would cause average losses of 26% in citrus production, according to agricultural organizations. Likewise, it causes serious damage to other agricultural production such as stone fruits, apples, pears, avocados, vines, olives, persimmons, pomegranates, peppers, tomatoes or eggplants, as well as roses and oaks. Its high capacity for ...