US$1.75m to fight grapevine moth
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Authorities fighting the spread of a potentially devastating moth in California’s vineyards have been given US$1.75m in federal funding.
The allocation from the Obama administration, part of the Farm Bill, will go towards the trapping, detection and surveying of the European Grapevine Moth.
The moth, widespread in Europe and the Mediterranean, was unknown in the US until it was found at various locations in California last autumn.
The state’s Department of Food and Agriculture immediately established quarantine zones affecting Napa, Sonoma and Solano Counties.
Larvae of the moth feed on grape bud clusters or flowers, and if not checked will eat grapes later in the season, leaving them vulnerable to rot.
Written by Richard Woodard
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Richard Woodard is a freelance wine and spirits writer based in the UK. Aside from Decanter, he writes for several wine trade and media outlets including Imbibe, The Drinks Business, Harpers and Drinks International.
Since 2015 he has been the magazine editor of Scotchwhisky.com. He has formerly worked as a wine news reporter at Imbibe and a feature writer for Halycon Magazine.