The first time she heard about it was in the late autumn of 2013, Marina Orpin had Italian friends whose family are major olive oil producers. They had told her of a particular bacteria called Xylella Fastidiosa which had come in from America.
The bacteria is carried by an aphid and has infected a MILLION trees, some of which are truly ancient, in the region of Puglia over an area of over 74,000 acres.
This means that entire groves, whose trees were amongst the oldest in Italy, have had to be cut down and destroyed. As you can well imagine, the other oil producing areas, Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio are on VERY high alert and taking drastic action to protect their trees.
The Italian Civil Protection Agency has been put in charge of this crisis. For it is not just the loss of the trees and the oil but the loss of thousands of jobs which are involved in the production of the oil. For in Lecce province in Puglia alone, an estimated 7,500 people work in the industry.
Last year was unseasonably cold and wet and the harvest was poor, what fruits did survive were then attacked by this extremely aggressive aphid, which burrows its' way into the fruit laying larvae that develop into maggots!
'Pietro Sandall, rhe head of Unaprol, the Italian Olive Growers Consortium, described the harvest as the worst in living memory'. So if you have noticed a sharp rise in the cost of your usual bottle of Italian Olive Oil, this is the reason.
Pray to God that it does not spread its' evil wings and fly across to Spain, Portugal and Greece!
And this, Dear Readers, is why each country has the equivalent of our Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and why it is NOT clever OR smart to smuggle plants or seeds into another country. Always go to a proper nursery who carry the revelant exportation / importation paperwork for plants and trees.
Who knows how the aphid got into Italy but the damage it is causing is of biblical proportions and it will certainly not be rectified quickly.
She has done a little bit of work in the back room, putting things back into the major store cupboard in the hall and getting out bedding for we have two guests coming to stay. She needs to get the step ladder into this cupboard and put things away onto the top shelf.
Long winter coats need to go into moth-proof bags and be put away, it feels a bit like Spring is beginning to strut her stuff but huh.. we know how evil and cold March and April can be and as most of the USA is experiencing some truly disgusting weather, which usually arrives here about six weeks later, she won't be putting her heavy, long winter jacket away yet nor her mock furry hat.
But it is good to be lazy sometimes, besides which that huge pot of pork broth keeps calling her, "come and drink me.. come and drink me.. come and drink me", so she does!
Me. I 'decorated' the YumYum cupboards with some pomegranate juice, had a beak or two of fresh hummous, some seeds and most of another rosy red and green apple which she put on the bed for me.
All is well in our lives, however, we are appalled at the news of the assasination of Boris Nemtsov in Moscow and other gruesome news that you can or will read for yourselves in the papers or on-line today.
Oi vey.. is what we say. Stay safe.. be kind and loving and walk on the sunny side of the street, both mentally and physically.
GeeGee Parrot.
February 28th, 2015.
The bacteria is carried by an aphid and has infected a MILLION trees, some of which are truly ancient, in the region of Puglia over an area of over 74,000 acres.
This means that entire groves, whose trees were amongst the oldest in Italy, have had to be cut down and destroyed. As you can well imagine, the other oil producing areas, Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio are on VERY high alert and taking drastic action to protect their trees.
The Italian Civil Protection Agency has been put in charge of this crisis. For it is not just the loss of the trees and the oil but the loss of thousands of jobs which are involved in the production of the oil. For in Lecce province in Puglia alone, an estimated 7,500 people work in the industry.
Last year was unseasonably cold and wet and the harvest was poor, what fruits did survive were then attacked by this extremely aggressive aphid, which burrows its' way into the fruit laying larvae that develop into maggots!
'Pietro Sandall, rhe head of Unaprol, the Italian Olive Growers Consortium, described the harvest as the worst in living memory'. So if you have noticed a sharp rise in the cost of your usual bottle of Italian Olive Oil, this is the reason.
Pray to God that it does not spread its' evil wings and fly across to Spain, Portugal and Greece!
And this, Dear Readers, is why each country has the equivalent of our Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and why it is NOT clever OR smart to smuggle plants or seeds into another country. Always go to a proper nursery who carry the revelant exportation / importation paperwork for plants and trees.
Who knows how the aphid got into Italy but the damage it is causing is of biblical proportions and it will certainly not be rectified quickly.
She has done a little bit of work in the back room, putting things back into the major store cupboard in the hall and getting out bedding for we have two guests coming to stay. She needs to get the step ladder into this cupboard and put things away onto the top shelf.
Long winter coats need to go into moth-proof bags and be put away, it feels a bit like Spring is beginning to strut her stuff but huh.. we know how evil and cold March and April can be and as most of the USA is experiencing some truly disgusting weather, which usually arrives here about six weeks later, she won't be putting her heavy, long winter jacket away yet nor her mock furry hat.
But it is good to be lazy sometimes, besides which that huge pot of pork broth keeps calling her, "come and drink me.. come and drink me.. come and drink me", so she does!
Me. I 'decorated' the YumYum cupboards with some pomegranate juice, had a beak or two of fresh hummous, some seeds and most of another rosy red and green apple which she put on the bed for me.
All is well in our lives, however, we are appalled at the news of the assasination of Boris Nemtsov in Moscow and other gruesome news that you can or will read for yourselves in the papers or on-line today.
Oi vey.. is what we say. Stay safe.. be kind and loving and walk on the sunny side of the street, both mentally and physically.
GeeGee Parrot.
February 28th, 2015.
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