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Diari de Catalunya

Drone pilot investigated for damage to fruit trees and crops in La Noguera

The Civil Guard is investigating the unauthorized aerial application of herbicide by a company based in Tarragona.

Generic image of an agricultural field with damaged fruit trees or a drone flying over a rural area.
IA

Generic image of an agricultural field with damaged fruit trees or a drone flying over a rural area.

The Civil Guard in Lleida is investigating a drone pilot from a Tarragona agricultural company for applying an unauthorized herbicide that damaged fruit trees adjacent to a crop field in the La Noguera region.

The operation, named “Vent de Ponent” (West Wind), is analyzing the events as a possible crime of damages. The Lleida Civil Guard confirmed that the investigated company, based in Tarragona, did not have the necessary authorization to carry out phytosanitary treatments by air.
Agents from the Nature Protection Team (EPRONA) also verified that the product used is not permitted for aerial applications. The police force warns about the rise of these practices and the need to strictly comply with Air Safety and Plant Health regulations.
Three plot owners filed a complaint after detecting that the herbicides had spread over adjacent fields containing fruit trees. These trees were in the flowering period, causing significant damage to the vegetation and production.
During the investigation, EPRONA took samples from the barley fields and the fruit trees, which were sent to the Agri-Food Laboratory of Cabrils, in Barcelona, for analysis. The proceedings and results have been forwarded to the Court of First Instance and Instruction number 3 of Balaguer.

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