WASHINGTON, D.C. >> U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has declared the eradication of the European Grapevine Month (EGVM) from the United States. APHIS will be lifting the Federal quarantine on 446 square miles of Napa and Sonoma Counties that have been under regulation since June 2010.
“The invasive EGVM posed a serious threat to the California wine community, which employs 786,000 people and generates $114 billion in annual economic activities,” said Thompson. “Aggressive control efforts and the collaborative work of federal, state and local officials, along with industry, growers, and scientists have made eradication possible. I have long supported these efforts, and I am pleased to announce that, through cooperation and dedication, the goal of eradication has finally been achieved.”
Since 2010, Thompson has helped secure $65 million in federal funding towards eradication of the EGVM. EGVM larvae are responsible for damage to grapes, feeding on grape bud clusters or flowers, as well as developing and ripening grapes. They also expose the grape to further damage from fungal infections.
