The Canary government allocates €655,462.63 to a temporary employment programme to eradicate phylloxera, detected in 2025 in Acentejo, and protect the ungrafted vineyards.
The Canary Executive has put forward a budget of €655,462.63 to tackle phylloxera, the pest threatening the archipelago's vineyards. The programme, approved this Monday by the Government Council, will allow for the hiring of four specialised technicians for three years, until 2029, with the aim of eradicating the pest and adapting the cultivation to this new enemy.
The initiative, driven by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty, responds to the detection in 2025 of a phylloxera outbreak in the Acentejo region of Tenerife. That finding necessitated the official declaration of the pest and the activation of control measures outlined in the Order of August 20, 2025. Now, with this personnel reinforcement, the aim is to continue monitoring and trials without neglecting the usual functions of the Plant Health Service.
Four technicians to monitor and experiment
The programme includes the incorporation of one agronomist and three agricultural technical engineers with experience in viticulture, plant health or agronomic trials. These professionals will be responsible for planning, phytosanitary monitoring, epidemiological tracking, and coordinating trials with resistant rootstocks. They will also advise the sector and design adaptation strategies for the Canary vineyard.
The team will work across all regional areas with vine presence, complementing the National Contingency Plan against phylloxera. The surveys conducted so far have revealed atypical behaviour of the insect in the Canary Islands, making the archipelago a natural laboratory of high scientific interest. Therefore, the plan includes the implementation of trials with resistant rootstocks to assess their behaviour in volcanic soils and with local varieties.
A viticultural treasure at risk
The Canary Islands is one of the few regions in the world where vines are predominantly grown on their own roots, that is, without grafting. This uniqueness has allowed the preservation of traditional varieties of great historical and agronomic value, but the arrival of phylloxera jeopardises this model. The insect attacks the roots and can destroy the vines in just a few years.
The pest, detected in 2025 in the Acentejo region, has already prompted the official declaration and the initiation of containment measures. With this new programme, the Canary government aims to ensure the viability of the vineyard and protect the landscape, production, and economy linked to the wine sector. The technicians will also be responsible for outreach and advising winemakers, many of whom are facing this threat for the first time.
An uncertain future but with hope
Phylloxera wreaked havoc on European viticulture in the late 19th century, and since then, most vineyards worldwide have been grafted onto resistant American rootstocks. However, the Canary Islands had remained unaffected, which now presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The trials with rootstocks will seek a solution adapted to local conditions, and the results could be crucial for the future of cultivation in the islands.
Meanwhile, Canary winemakers will have to coexist with the threat and implement the recommended biosecurity measures. The programme, with a budget of €655,462.63, is a first step to ensure that Canary wine, with its unique varieties, can continue to be produced for generations. The actions will take place between 2026 and 2029, and the first results of the trials are expected to be available in a couple of years.
You may also like
