False codling moth threatens Mediterranean fruit industry

The Spanish Citrus Interprofessional, Intercitrus, has warned about a critical situation in the Spanish citrus industry.

The European Commission's Europhyt-Traces registry for November reported an interception in Almería involving a false codling moth (Thaumatotibia leucotreta) found in pomegranates from Morocco.

This pest, never seen in Europe before, severely threatens citrus crops. The rejection of the shipment, reported by AVA-Asaja a few days ago, took place in the port of Almería, where the Spanish Plant Health Agency (Fito) confirmed the presence of the pest and halted the cargo's entry.

This incident not only put the nearby production of mandarins, oranges, or grapefruits at risk but also posed a threat to all fruit crops, including avocado, peach, nectarine, mango, various vegetables like bell peppers or eggplants, other continental crops such as corn.

Given the seriousness of detecting such a polyphagous pest, capable of attacking up to 70 plant species across 50 different families, and the confirmed risk of its multiplication in a Mediterranean climate like that of Morocco or Spain, Intercitrus urges European authorities to send inspectors to confirm the extent of the possible presence of Thaumatotibia leucotreta in Morocco.