Italy's Puglia region initiates Xylella monitoring and secures €1 billion agricultural aid

The municipality of Canosa di Puglia will launch a monitoring programme for the plant pathogen Xylella fastidiosa in 2026, following EU Regulation 2020/1201. The activities are carried out by Agrifuturo Soc. Coop., whose trained phytosanitary assistants will perform visual inspections and collect tiny plant samples, a non‑invasive approach that relies on cooperation from landowners.

At the same time, the Italian Chamber of Deputies approved the "ColtivaItalia" bill, a comprehensive agricultural package worth more than €1 billion. The legislation earmarks €300 million for the national olive plan (2026‑2030), creates an extraordinary national commissioner for Xylella whose mandate runs to the end of 2028, bans the installation of solar farms in historic olive groves, and introduces measures to protect DOP/IGP products, boost agritourism, and support grain, livestock and young farmers.