Fire blight safety zone in Cassà de la Selva

The Resolution ARP/2763/2026, of 30 July, published in the Official Journal of the Government of Catalonia (DOGC) No. 9722 of 4 August 2026, establishes a safety zone with a 1-kilometre radius around the outbreak of fire blight (Erwinia amylovora) detected in Cassà de la Selva (Gironès). It is signed by the Director General of Agriculture and Livestock, Rosa Altisent i Rosell, and imposes mandatory phytosanitary measures on the holders of plots with pome fruit trees and rosaceous plants in the surrounding area. The regulation entered into force on the same day it was published.

Fire blight is a quarantine pest of the protected zones of the European Union, included in Annex III of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072, which considers Spain a protected zone except for the counties of Garrigues, Noguera, Pla d’Urgell, Segrià and Urgell. The bacterium, which attacks pome fruit trees and ornamental and wild plants of the rose family (Rosaceae), spreads very easily, and its spread in Catalonia could cause serious economic damage, both through direct damage to plantations and through commercial repercussions.

The outbreak in Cassà de la Selva was detected on 29 and 30 June 2026, during two inspections in a pear (Pyrus communis) plot carried out by the Plant Health Service. The Animal and Plant Health Laboratory of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food (DARPA) confirmed the presence of the bacterium in eleven of the 25 samples collected, a diagnosis validated on 13 July 2026 by the National Reference Laboratory for Phytopathogenic Bacteria of the Valencian Institute for Agricultural Research (IVIA). The official declaration of the outbreak was made by resolution of 14 July 2026, in compliance with Article 5 of Order AAM/77/2015, of 9 April.

A 1-km zone around three SIGPAC plots

The safety zone comprises a minimum radius of 1 kilometre around the SIGPAC plots 17:049:0:0:10:7:3, 17:049:0:0:10:7:18 and 17:049:0:0:10:7:22, in the municipality of Cassà de la Selva. Since the delimitation affects some municipalities entirely and others only partially, the updated list of included plots is published for information purposes on the official DARPA website (agricultura.gencat.cat).

It is the second outbreak declared in the county in a few weeks: on 19 June another was detected in Campllong, confirmed on 3 July, which already led to Resolution ARP/2574/2026, of 15 July, published in the DOGC on 23 July.

Mandatory measures within the zone

Plot holders must comply with the measures of Article 6 of Order AAM/77/2015, including:

• The uprooting and immediate destruction, on site and under official control, of all host plants with symptoms and those in their immediate surroundings, without the need for prior bacteriological analysis.
• Preventive phytosanitary treatments and removal of secondary blooms from susceptible fruit trees, with the products determined by the competent general directorate for plant health.
• The prohibition of transport outside the zone of host plants or parts of host plants, including active pollen for pollination, except fruits and seeds, without express authorization.
• Disinfection of pruning tools and machinery on each plot and recording of all treatments in the farm logbook.
• Investigation of the origin of contaminated plant material and the destinations of the supplier’s shipments, at least from the twelve months prior to confirmation of the outbreak.

Beehives immobilized within a 3 km radius

The resolution also restricts beekeeping activity: within a radius of 3 kilometres of the outbreak, beehives must remain immobilized from the entry into force of the regulation until 31 October 2026. Between 1 November and the start of the following flowering season, they must be moved outside the safety zone and at least 5 kilometres away. The introduction and movement of hives require express authorization from the competent general directorate, which may also order their destruction when there is a high risk of spread of the pest.

The measure is part of the national programme for the eradication and control of fire blight of rosaceous plants provided for in Royal Decree 1201/1999, of 9 July, and in the declaration of public utility of the fight against this pest. Against the resolution, which does not exhaust administrative remedies, an administrative appeal may be lodged before the Secretary for Food of DARPA within one month. For producers in Gironès, the regulation adds immediate obligations, but the greatest cost would come if the pest spreads: the loss of pear and apple trees and of the phytosanitary guarantees that protect the Catalan fruit-growing sector.

Source: Diari Oficial de la Generalitat de Catalunya (DOGC), No. 9722, 4 August 2026, section Other provisions, pp. 1-3 (official reference: CVE-DOGC-A-26212060-2026).