Owners of palm trees that could be infected by red palm weevil, the insect that is decimating palms around the globe, must report them immediately to the Plant Health Department.

"Failure to report the presence of the weevil in one's garden may lead to legal action being taken," Marica Gatt from the Plant Health Department told The Times yesterday.

Emergency measures against the pest are stipulated by both EU and local regulations, by which the public is obliged to abide.

As with other plants, treating the palms with pesticides will be carried out at the owner's expense.

If the tree has already died, it has to be uprooted and incinerated. Technical help is offered by the department free of charge, but the actual removal and incineration will be made against payment.

A palm enthusiast from Naxxar who has been battling with the pest for a while said pesticides are very expensive and these should be offered for free or at least subsidised by the government in order to help eradicate the pest.

He added that when he reported an infected palm tree to the authorities he was told that use of the expensive pesticide did not guarantee success.

He argued that since the weevil might have been imported through negligence by the government, victims should be compensated.

Malta is still in "a state of emergency" following the weevil outbreak last year.

The insect is suspected to have been brought in through larvae in imported plants, according to Dr Gatt.

Some people are still buying uncertified trees, and this has prompted the plant health division to organise seminars to educate the public about the weevil and other plant diseases.

Fishermen who use palm fronds for the lampuki season have been asked to collect the fronds from Wied Inċita in Malta and the Afforestation Section in Gozo where the cutting of fronds is controlled.

This procedure should be followed because the uncontrolled cutting of fronds could make it easier for the insect to lay its eggs.

In the past two years, 2,500 palms were inspected by the department but only around 150 were found to be infected, 55 of which had to be uprooted, Dr Gatt said.

Answering a parliamentary question last January, Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino said the disease had not reached Gozo and Comino.

The government does not plan to give compensation for the replacement of palm trees but Mr Pullicino emphasised that the agriculture department was giving financial assistance so that infected trees can be removed and burnt.

Dr Gatt confirmed that the spread of the weevil was being curbed through the efforts by the department, and that one of the reasons for it not having reached Gozo was that the transportation of palms from Malta was stopped.

There are a number of preventive measures available to minimise the risk or damage by the palm weevil, such as trapping larvae, covering the trees in a plastic sheet and pesticide treatment.

For further information one may contact the Plant Health Department at the Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs on 2339 7100.