Tenerife Phylloxera Contained, Vineyard Roots Unaffected

Almost six months after the first phylloxera outbreak was found in an abandoned farm in Valle de Guerra (La Laguna), Tenerife, in late July 2025, the pest has not spread to the soil or roots of the island's vineyards. This positive news comes from 159 underground samples taken by experts during this time. Additionally, the Canary Islands Government's Ministry of Agriculture recently introduced four new plans to manage the pest during the upcoming plant pruning season.

Regional councillor Narvay Quintero led a meeting to review efforts to control the aphid. They discussed actions taken since the pest was first detected, through to the end of the harvest, to get rid of it and stop it from spreading. Current work on this issue was also presented.

Quintero also mentioned the extensive surveys conducted to find the pest. So far, 7,782 surveys have been done across all wine-producing islands. Of these, 89 samples in Tenerife tested positive (the affected material has since been removed and treated), while 7,693 were negative. Tenerife, the only island where phylloxera has been found, accounted for 7,276 of these surveys. Other islands also conducted checks: Gran Canaria (198), La Palma (125), Lanzarote (85), El Hierro (67), La Gomera (22), and Fuerteventura (9).

The councillor confirmed that none of the 159 root samples showed any sign of phylloxera. For soil tests, four initial positive results were later found to be negative after two more checks.

The head of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Food Sovereignty described the recent harvest as "satisfactory" from a technical and organizational standpoint. He explained that the Canary Islands Government's authorization system successfully kept wine-growing activities safe, preventing the pest from spreading and ensuring that all produce could be traced.

Narvay Quintero reminded everyone that during the harvest season, a system was put in place to control and approve grape movement in Tenerife, the only affected island. This system mainly focused on areas within the Tacoronte-Acentejo Protected Designation of Origin region, where the pest was initially found.

In total, 1,460 requests to move grapes were made. Of these, 1,417 were approved, and 43 were initially denied. Seven of the denied requests were later approved after the wineries changed their locations. Quintero emphasized that "alternative solutions were offered to the remaining farmers to prevent financial loss, while still following all regulations."

Looking ahead to the upcoming pruning season, new guidelines were discussed. These cover how to manage waste, move plant materials like cuttings, and maintain biosecurity for vineyards, machinery, staff, and equipment. Since pruning and planting happen at the same time, the new system will control how these materials move between different wine-growing areas across the islands, incorporating various health and safety measures.

The meeting also highlighted the work of the Scientific-Technical Committee's action groups, which were set up in late September to advise authorities. A key focus is the progress in studying and choosing rootstocks that are resistant to the aphid and suitable for the Canary Islands. Once chosen, these rootstocks will be brought in for trials. These trials will assess how well they perform with Canarian grape varieties and how they adapt to the soil and climate in different parts of the Archipelago, always in collaboration with the Wine Protected Designations of Origin (PDOs).

They also discussed improvements in sampling methods and models for tracking the pest's spread. Notably, detecting the aphid from soil samples means action can be taken on affected plots even before the pest is visible on the plants themselves.

The working group studying the pest's life cycle and different genetic types has isolated 27 samples from affected areas. These will be studied in secure conditions using DNA analysis to pinpoint where the Tenerife outbreak originally came from.

Attendees at the meeting included Deputy Minister of the Primary Sector, Eduardo García, and Director General of Agriculture, Juan Ramón Rodríguez. Representatives from the Regulatory Councils of the Canary Islands' Protected Designations of Origin (including six from Tenerife), island councils, professional agricultural organizations, and Seprona were also present.