(Publication: PROPALMES 83 Wednesday, November 27, 2019 11:53)
Michel Ferry and Susi Gomez have more than 30 years of experience in the treatment of palm trees, they trace the history of a failure of European plant health authorities in the management of the red palm weevil.
At the CMSP General Meeting October 2017 in Bordighera, Michel Ferry, anticipating the decision of the European Commission to repeal the mandatory fight against the CRP, which October 1, 2018 had been keen to make the history of successive mistakes that have been made and the reasons for which the spread of CRP has grown exponentially in Europe’s Mediterranean regions, while it is could be stopped if the measures had been taken in time.
No lessons have been learned Plant Health Officials on the Reasons for This Failure to correct the errors and take the necessary steps to prevent an environmental disaster in contaminated areas. The Directorate General of Food, in charge of Plant Health Department of Agriculture told us that it had opposed the European decision, but the provisions it made in the European June 25, 2019 demonstrate that this is only a posture with no real ambition to control this pest, as the treatment preventative measures, which are at the very basis of effective integrated control, do not are more mandatory in contaminated areas! A climax for a mandatory fight against the CRP! This new decree does not correct in no way the weaknesses of the previous and will be mortifying for our palm trees if it is not changed very quickly! What we asked Minister in our letter of September 4, 2019
These successive errors at the level European and national stakes inevitably lead first to the disappearance of canary palm trees in our regions and sooner or later at the the gradual disappearance of palm trees, as the CRP can tackle many species.
The worst part is that different communities (Arecap/Cavem, Palmiers06/Vence – 10 other municipalities), partnership with CMSP member associations (Propalmes83, Les palm trees of the Vençois country, and now PalmierSud) have made the demonstration that Michel Ferry’s collective struggle strategy, applied to more than 6,000 palm trees (more than 90% of which were private) excellent results. So why the dGAL’s services to whom we had presented them in delegation on 25 October 2018 and which were convinced of the merits of the approach did not Account? Why, when all the participants, at the meeting 11 February, called for the preventive treatments are mandatory regardless of area why the order was issued with provisions Contrary? Who are we kidding?
In this new decree, the role of associations and private owners whose palm trees represent more than 90% of the total is totally ignored! .. Helpless the ministry’s services passed the problem on to the regional prefects and CROPSAV (Regional Health Policy Policy Council animal and plant). It should be noted that in this Council, which is supposed to replace Regional Copil, the actors on the ground are totally excluded and the associations are simply invited to listen!
The ministry’s services have not unfortunately learned no lessons, method, tool, organization of collective struggle for 10 years! They will find themselves just as destitute to deal with new threats that are emerging: Xylella fastidiosa that threatens the Olive trees, nematodes that threaten the Pines, the tiger that threatens the Platane, the black weevil that attacks agave, the fig weevil recently discovered by the producers of Solliès, etc.
You will find this presentation in the section «Bibliography of Michel Ferry«