California Wineries Request US$32 Million to Fight Vineyard Pest
By: Sarah Neish, The Drinks the pest”, which can cause Pierce’s Disease, an affliction Business
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s Californian vines enter into veraison (grape colouring and softening), two of the state’s Senators have asked for urgent government help to protect vineyards against a pest that could “pose a potentially catastrophic threat” to this year’s harvest. If the pest, known as the glassy-winged sharpshooter, is left unchecked, there could be “significant economic stakes” for Californian agriculture, said Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, along with US Representatives Mike Thompson and David Valadao. In a letter written to the US Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on 18 June, the politicians emphasised the “timesensitive” nature of their request for “the immediate release of $32.2 million” to help “contain and eradicate
that kills grapevines by clogging their waterconducting vessels. Source of the problem Earlier this month, db reported that US agricultural officials had discovered an invasive pest capable of spreading a devastating vine disease. The source was found to be a number of infected grapevines sold through retail giant Costco, with 63 affected vines initially located and destroyed. The infected vines originated from a single nursery, the products of which were distributed to Costco locations in Alameda, Butte, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Kings, Marin, Mendocino, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tulare, Yolo, and Yuba Counties.
Letter of appeal In a letter written to the US Department of Agriculture to plead for funding to combat the threat, the Senators wrote: “The movement of infested nursery stock into and near key grape-producing regions, including areas critical to California’s winegrape and fresh table grape production, significantly elevates the urgency of this response. “This pest and its associated disease pose a potentially catastrophic threat to these industries. If left unchecked, the California Department of Food and Agriculture estimates that losses associated with the glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS) could eclipse US$104 million annually.” If granted, the Senators wrote, the funding would support
“emergency response efforts, including tracing, surveying, and trapping, as well as implementing ongoing trapping and survey programmes for the next three years.” They called on the government department to draw down funds from the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) in order to help winegrowers. “Federal law (7 USC 7772) authorises you to transfer funds from the CCC ‘in connection with an emergency in which a plant pest or noxious weed threatens any segment of the agricultural production.’ See 'Vineyard Pest' Page 4