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Scottish Government Warns of Citrus Longhorn Beetle Outbreak in Netherlands

CITRUS LONGHORN BEETLE OUTBREAK IN THE NETHERLANDS

You may be aware that authorities in the Netherlands have reported an outbreak of Citrus Longhorn Beetle (Anoplophora chinensis) in the Boskoop area. There are more than 500 nurseries in this area and it appears that the pest may have been present for a number of years. I am writing to ask for your help in protecting Scotland and the UK against this damaging pest. In particular, if you have or intend to introduce any host plants either directly or indirectly from the Boskoop area, please emailhort.marketing@scotland.gsi.gov.uk so that we can check whether the suppliers are in the area where the pest has been identified.

Citrus Longhorn Beetle (Anoplophora chinensis) is a very damaging pest originating in South East Asia. It can infest a wide range of woody, deciduous plants, and would be a major threat to horticulture and the wider environment if it became established in the UK. It has been intercepted most frequently with Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) but the relevant EU legislation identifies 17 main hosts as listed overleaf. Larvae live inside the stems for several years, and infestation is therefore almost impossible to detect without destructive sampling, cutting open the trunk of potential hosts. Further information is available on the Fera website athttp://www.fera.defra.gov.uk/plants/plantHealth/pestsDiseases/citrusLonghornBeetle.cfm

EU measures were introduced in 2008 to protect against Citrus Longhorn Beetle, following several interceptions of infested Acers at import. There were also a number of findings in the UK, as a result of mail order sales of infested plants which had not been detected

In relation to the current outbreak in Boskoop, the Dutch Plant Protection Service has introduced requirements aimed at preventing spread of the pest, including a 2km demarcated zone around the infested site. The service has provided a list of nurseries within this zone. These nurseries are being inspected individually, with some limited destructive sampling, and permission given to resume trading on a case by case basis, if no evidence of the pest is detected. Details of nurseries that are permitted to trade, together with those that are not currently producing the main host plants, are being published at http://www.naktuinbouw.nl/ According to the relevant EU legislation (Decision 2008/840) host plants permitted to move from a demarcated area must be accompanied by a plant passport.

The number of trees being destructively sampled in the Netherlands may be sufficient to detect high levels of the pest, but not low level infestations. In addition, it is thought that the pest may have been introduced as far back as 2001, so it is impossible to know how widely it may have spread already. In response to these concerns the Scottish Government is working with the other UK Plant Health Authorities to take the following action:

· Raising public awareness of this pest and encouraging vigilance for potentially infested plants which have been introduced previously;

· Informing plant traders and bulk purchasers of the outbreak in Boskoop and gathering information to assess the need for inspection or surveillance;

· Guarding against further introductions by destructive sampling of consignments of the main host plants imported from third countries or brought into the UK from the Boskoop area.

A form is attached to this letter asking for information about any consignments of plants that you may have received from the Netherlands in the past 5 years. I would be grateful if you could complete this and return it as soon as possible to the address given. Alternatively you can email the information tohort.marketing@scotland.gsi.gov.uk.

If you are bringing in any of the host plants listed below, either directly or indirectly from the Boskoop area, or believe that plants may be from that area, please email the same address so that we can arrange an inspection. Given the implications and consequences of an outbreak of Citrus Longhorn Beetle I hope you will appreciate that it is in everyone’s interest to minimise that risk.

If you see one of these beetles or suspect that plants are infested, please emailhort.marketing@scotland.gsi.gov.uk , giving as much information as possible, and someone will contact you as soon as possible. If you can, please isolate the beetle in a sealed rigid container for identification.

Thank you for your help,

Jean Waddie

Policy Analyst

Plants, Horticulture and Potatoes

Main hosts of Citrus Longhorn Beetle

Acer spp.

Aesculus hippocastranum

Alnus spp.

Betula spp.

Carpinus spp.

Citrus spp.

Corylus spp.