Institut für nationale und internationale Angelegenheiten der Pflanzengesundheit
Being among the 20 priority plant pests listed in the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072, the Japanese (Popillia japonica) beetle is subject to strict legal regulations for surveys and control. Which phytosanitary measures can be applied in what country and which must not be applied as e.g. particular chemical compounds are not permitted? P. japonica occurs in Europe at present in Italy, in Switzerland and on the Azores. As in recent years several beetles were found in pheromone traps near container terminals in several EU member states, further outbreaks in the EU can be expected. The first population north of the Alps was reported in summer 2023 from the area of Zurich, demonstrating that P. japonica managed to overcome the Alps as a geological barrier only nine years after its first documentation in continental Europe. Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 states that each Member State is to draw up and keep up to date for each priority pest a contingency plan. How and why do contingency plans differ between countries? How have plant protection agencies to proceed in particular cases to guarantee successful eradication? The control of the Japanese beetle requires measures against the adult beetles as well as against the larvae in the soil. Current strategies to manage the natural spread of P. japonica are limited and effective eradication measures are often in conflict with the Directive on Sustainable Use of Pesticides (Directive 2009/128/EC).Therefore, the aim of the MOMAPOJA project is to exchange and collect experiences of best practice for the outbreak management of P. japonica in line with the EU plant protection legislation and to envisage the development of further methods. The proposed project should consider the different monitoring and detection tools/methods as well as control measures to be applied against the adults and the larval stages of the beetle as described in articles 9 & 10 of the EC Implementing Regulation on “measures to prevent the establishment and spread of Popillia japonica” (Document Ares(2023)2390160).
Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
