The Regional Government declares an exceptional phytosanitary situation due to the root vole

The Regional Government of Castilla y León has declared, for the 2026/2027 agricultural campaign, an exceptional phytosanitary situation of a preventive, temporary, and revisable nature derived from the risk of increase and expansion of common vole populations (Microtus arvalis), and has classified the measures to combat this pest as being of public utility. The decision is formalized in Agreement 145/2026, of October 8, published in the Official Gazette of Castilla y León (BOCYL) no. 197, of October 9, 2026, and is developed through a resolution from the Directorate General of Agricultural and Livestock Production which enables the controlled burning of stubble.

The agreement, signed by the president of the Regional Government, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, and by the counselor of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Environment, and Environmental Policy, Joaquín Antonio Pino, is based on article 126 of the Agricultural Law 1/2014, of March 19, of Castilla y León, which allows the official declaration of a pest to entail the public utility of the control measures. The regulation is further supported by Law 43/2002, of November 20, on plant health, and Royal Decree 409/2008, of March 28, which already classifies the prevention and control of common vole pests as being of public utility.

A preventive alert in the face of initial increase hotspots

Monitoring and tracking work from the summer of 2026 confirms that abundance values generally remain low or very low, but there are initial hotspots of increase and an evolution that suggests anticipating the phytosanitary response. The Commission on Rodents and Other Vertebrates, meeting on September 29, 2026, considered that sufficient technical circumstances existed to declare the exceptional situation.

The Agricultural Technological Institute of Castilla y León (ITACyL) issued a report on October 5, 2026, concluding that there are sufficient circumstances to recognize a phytosanitary risk situation and adopt extraordinary, temporary, proportionate, and revisable measures. These actions are integrated into the Master Plan for the Fight against Agricultural Pests in Castilla y León, approved by Agreement 53/2009, of May 14, and the Integrated management strategy for risks derived from the presence of the common vole, established by Order AYG/96/2019, of February 5.

Controlled burning of stubble with prior notification

The Resolution of October 8, 2026, signed by the director general of Agricultural and Livestock Production, Juan José García García, enables the controlled burning of stubble on agricultural surfaces as a specific phytosanitary measure, without the need to execute other actions beforehand or to prove their inefficiency. The annex of the agreement contemplates, among other measures:

• Reinforcement of population surveillance and monitoring.
• Tillage and soil removal.
• Management of vegetation covers, reservoirs, and dispersal routes.
• Adaptation of agricultural practices and cultivation tasks.
• Promotion of natural predators.
• Use of legally authorized phytosanitary products.
• Controlled burning of stubble or other vegetation covers.

Burning will require prior notification from the farm owner, at least 48 hours in advance, addressed to the Territorial Delegation of the Junta of the province where the plot is located, which will forward it to the corresponding town hall. Lands considered mountain or forest areas are excluded, and the authorization remains in effect throughout the 2026/2027 campaign, without prejudice to its modification, suspension, or revocation.

Safety conditions and alignment with the CAP

The action must be permanently supervised by the owner or a designated adult, who shall carry a copy of the notification and the sectoral authorizations. It may not be started or continued with winds exceeding 30 km/h, thermal inversion, extreme dryness, persistent smoke, or risk to communication routes, inhabited centers, infrastructure, people, assets, fauna, or vegetation.

Burnings carried out under this resolution will be considered actions for phytosanitary reasons under the exception provided for in BCAM 3, and therefore do not constitute a breach of the reinforced conditionality of the Common Agricultural Policy. An administrative appeal may be filed against the resolution, which does not end the administrative route, before the Counselor of Agriculture within one month.

Public health: the connection with tularemia

The agreement emphasizes that the evolution of vole populations affects not only plant health but also public health. Various scientific and epidemiological studies link population increases of Microtus arvalis with the environmental amplification of Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of tularemia, a zoonotic disease subject to mandatory reporting. Therefore, the measures simultaneously seek to protect agricultural production and preventively reduce the risks of spreading this zoonosis in rural areas.

The declaration directly affects farmers in Castilla y León, who will have an enabling framework throughout the campaign to combat the pest with measures ranging from tillage to controlled fire. The specific application of each action and its temporal and territorial scope remain in the hands of the competent body, based on surveillance data, the level of risk, the affected crops, and the evolution of the populations.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla y León, no. 197, of October 9, 2026, I. Community of Castilla y León, D. Other Provisions, pages 231-239 (official reference: BOCYL-D-09102026-197-35 and BOCYL-D-09102026-197-36).