Fight against grasshoppers, Sardinian farmers: «Plowing is better than disinfestations»
Matteo Flore: «They should have invested more in prevention»"They should have invested more in prevention," says Matteo Flore, a young farmer with land and livestock in the Sedilo countryside: "It shouldn't have gotten to this point. The situation is now dramatic."
The prevention invoked by farmers and ranchers is the plowing of the fields. That detail that was missing this time and that according to many could have brought many benefits in the fight against grasshoppers. The only use of pest control is not convincing.
"Meanwhile, the men and equipment deployed by Laore in the fight against locusts are not sufficient compared to the extent of the territory involved," says Raffaela Mureddu, an agricultural entrepreneur from Fonni with activities in the Sedilo countryside. «The use of the insecticide, deltamethrin, requires that grazing of livestock be suspended for 15 days. Therefore, for the period of treatment we are forced to keep the animals in stables and feed them with feed and other fodder ».
Meanwhile, Laore aims to increase interventions, disinfestations. Director Marcello Onorato promises: «Starting next week we will have seven more sprayers. So we will have about thirty. We are deploying other means and other resources».