Plan to stop tomato-guzzling moth

Farmers and amateur tomato growers will have to abide by a national plan aimed at preventing the spread of a crop-eating moth that wreaked havoc in the Maltese countryside last year.

The government has allocated €300,000 to help farmers prevent and contain the pest from spreading by, for instance, setting up pheromone traps that attract male moths to a pool of water containing female hormones.

Other measures include ensuring that greenhouses will be closed off and equipped with nets to prevent the moth from getting in.

Moreover, farmers are to monitor their tomato crops regularly for the pest, known as tomato leafminers, and keep the authorities updated, explained Marika Gatt, the director of the Plant Health Directorate within the Rural Affairs' Ministry.

Standing in his tomato greenhouse in Żebbuġ, Joseph Sciortino pointed to the netting and traps he had invested in.

"I hope that everyone who grows tomatoes, including the amateurs, abide by these measures so we control the pest successfully. It would not be fair if there are growers who don't bother following the measures. For them, losing a few tomatoes might not mean much... This attitude would mean that the pest would come to my crops and, for me, it means my livelihood," he said.

The directorate is in the process of issuing calls for expressions of interest for the implementation of the plan.

A call has already been issued for the monitoring of the plan, processing information on the presence of the pest and the effectiveness of measures.

Separate calls were issued for traps. Enforcement will start later this month and those who do not follow the measures may be fined.

Last year the government allocated about €120,000 to help those farmers whose crops had been destroyed by the pest, Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino said. However, this year this subsidy will not be available.

"The government will not be subsidising decimated crops. This will act as an initiative for farmers to abide by the national plan... The €300,000 we allocated is there to help farmers prevent and control the pest," Mr Pullicino said.

The money will serve to cover about half the costs incurred by farmers to protect their crops. The costs for monitoring and enforcing the plan will be footed by the government.

Mr Pullicino added that the national plan was drafted following consultation with farmers' representatives and following the registration of tomato farmers and amateur growers that closed last month.

Factbox

The tomato leafminer, or tuta absoluta, was first spotted in Malta last April and was likely to have been imported on tomatoes or plants bought in the EU.

The moths are greyish brown, grow to about six millimetres and reproduce very quickly as they lay up to 260 eggs throughout their lives.

When maturing, the caterpillars turn a yellowish green and develop a black band behind their head. When fully grown, they are about nine millimetres long and have a pinkish colour on their back.

The caterpillars normally live in leaves, stems or fruit but usually exit to pupate in the soil or on the leaves. The most distinctive signs of their presence are blotch-shaped holes in the leaves and dark, granular excrement.