Stored product protection perspectives in Spain

Abstract

There is an important food industry in Spain that represents the main industry sector, accounting 16.2% of net product sales and 14.6% of industrial employment. Consumption of many types of cereals, dried fruits and nuts, legumes and spices in Spain is very high as they are a component of our traditional food. A number of these food products could be stored after the harvest season for more than 3 months, and be processed little by little during the year. The storage of imported commodities is similar except for those products with high demand that are commonly processed in a period of 1-month or less. Both silos and warehouses are used for the storage of raw material and final food products. A number of pest species can affect both commodities and processing facilities, among them several Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Psocid and Mite species. Chemical control based on residual insecticides and fumigants is the most common pest control method used. In Spain, there are a limited number of active compounds that are allowed to use for stored pest control. As a consequence pesticide resistant insect strains are already present in some areas. Treatments are concentrated in summer when temperatures are optimal for insect development. Among pesticides, phosphine has replaced in most cases the use of methyl bromide after its phase out. There is an increasing use of prevention, hygiene, monitoring of pests and alternative control methods. HACCP protocols and IPM are followed by a number of companies. Other methodologies in use are Modified Atmospheres for both fumigation or packaging and, CO2 at high pressure for treating spices and herbs. Biological control is not used and still not known as an alternative control method by the agro-food industry.
Keywords: stored products, pest control, chemical control, IPM