As reported by the General Director of Agriculture and Livestock of Catalonia's Council of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and Natural Environment, the Council has had to pull up 71 hectares of fruit trees in Lleida, which were affected by fire blight outbreaks; this is more than double the figure reached in 2013, when 31 hectares had to be destroyed.

A total of 27 outbreaks have been registered this season, of which 15 are the same as last year.

Given this increase in hectares affected, the Council had two alternatives to the current strategy against fire blight. The one chosen has been to review the amounts given in compensation and to reinforce the prospecting actions.

The sector and the Council have also decided to create a working group in which the Government and representatives of leading industry organisations will take part.

Fresh fruit harvestThe Government has also presented the fresh fruit harvest balance of the 2014 season in Catalonia, which has confirmed the upward trend in terms of production for stonefruit and apples, and a downward one for pears, as it's also the case in the rest of the European Union.

The closure of the Russian market in early August has had a negative impact on the campaign and is currently affecting prices, especially for peaches and nectarines, which registered significant drops in July and August.

However, according to the Council, Catalan exports up to 31 August show positive values​​, given the good figures recorded until July.

Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/