Italian to share almond tree advice

A PUBLIC lecture will take place in Benissa on February 1st which aims to address issues surrounding the destruction of almond trees infected with the Xylella Fastidiosa bacteria.

The CNT-AIT union (National Confederation of Labour) of the Marina Alta has organised the talk.

It will explore the efforts which are taking place in southern Italy against the disastrous actions of the authorities, who are acting under the same EU guidelines which require infected trees and those within a certain radius are destroyed.

The speaker of the conference will be Gino Ancona, an Italian activist with experience in the struggles against the authorities, whom he says have devastated the southern regions of his country.

The CNT-AIT seeks to make it public knowledge that there are other solutions to the ‘aggressive’ felling of the trees, which in turn destroy crops and income. Currently, the EU are subsidising compensation payments for farmers, however, the union fears that these payments may only be available for a few years, and the only losers will be those involved in the production of almond derived products.

The event, which ironically coincides with the almond just coming into full blossom, will take place in the assembly hall of Benissa cultural society, at 21 Calle Pare Andrés Ivars. It commences at 21.00 and has the support of Benissa department of culture.