Following the order issued by the prefecture of the Provence Alpes-Cรดte d’Azur region to limit the movement and commercialization of plants that may be affected, which includes 200 species, the Department’s services have been fully mobilized.
The urgency is to destroy all plants that may be contaminated around the detected outbreaks (six have been identified in the Alpes-Maritimes), particularly myrtle-leaved polygala, within a 100-meter radius of the identified outbreaks.
The Department has also initiated operations to destroy insects that might potentially carry the bacterium.
These restrictions may have an economic impact on horticulture and landscaping businesses and threaten employment in this sector.
Eric Ciotti, president of the Departmental Council, is fully committed to addressing this new challenge for the Alpes-Maritimes after the storm on October 3.
“I am alerting the State to the need to find a fair balance between the essential need to prevent the spread of the bacterium to protect our environmental heritage and the preservation of the economic activity of companies in the region,” he stated in a press release.
The head of the departmental authority is requesting a prompt meeting to assess “this essential topic, which is the future of the horticultural sector in the Alpes-Maritimes and the protection of environmental heritage.”
