Grasshoppers emergency in Sardinia: "Two or three weeks to eliminate about sixty outbreaks"

It takes "two or three weeks to eliminate about sixty outbreaks of locusts identified in the countryside of Nuorese and Alto Oristano".

This is what Professor Ignazio Floris , the leading Sardinian expert and professor of Agriculture at the University of Sassari, said to the Environment Commission of the Regional Council this afternoon.

The academician, who participates in the table set up by the Environment and Agriculture departments together with the Laore agency, talks about a problem "which has been repeating itself in recent years".

"In recent months - explained Floris - we have clearly identified an invasion of Crusader grillastri who tend to aggregate in swarms and hordes, lay their eggs in July and in this period are still less than five millimeters and above all do not fly ".

The outbreaks occupy a total of “about fifty hectares in the municipalities of Ottana, Noragugume, Sedilo, Silanus and Bolotana , in which, thanks to the mayors, we met with agricultural entrepreneurs to explain our intervention plan. The technicians of the Region in these days are operating in an experimental way on six different outbreaks ". Professor Floris is also monitoring the growth of these grasshoppers in the laboratory to test for insecticides.

The Councilor for the Environment Gianni Lampis recalled for his part the 800 thousand euros allocated by the council, while the owner of Agriculture Gabriella Murgia specified that she is dealing "only with the compensation of the damage suffered by farms".

Psd'Az group leader Franco Mula , while defining the work done so far as "excellent", warns: "If an extraordinary contribution in terms of personnel is needed, it must be requested immediately, we cannot risk weeks and grasshoppers passing by. start to fly ".

(Unioneonline / L)