36th Meeting of the Colorado Beetle Campaign Committee
St Hélier (JE), 2011-11-15/16
The 36th meeting of the Colorado Beetle Campaign Committee took place in St Hélier, Jersey at the kind invitation of the States of Jersey Environmental Management and Rural Economy. After the 2nd World War major efforts were undertaken to eradicate the Colorado beetle and, in close collaboration with Normandy, the campaign to prevent new introductions has been increasingly successful. Thanks to the campaign Jersey and Guernsey are “pest free zones” and are able to export top quality natural potatoes to United Kingdom for a high price and this is very important for the economy and employment on the Islands. This campaign fits with the objectives of EPPO as described in the Convention.
Courtesy: Yuri Kalinin (RU)
Representatives from the Regional Service for Plant Protection of Basse-Normandie, Guernsey and Jersey presented their reports of the campaign. A report submitted from the UK was also been presented, and the results of the campaign in 2011 were discussed.
Conclusions regarding the Colorado beetle control campaign in 2011:
- This was a successful campaign and the percentage of infested fields in Cotentin has been relatively constant over the last 4 years.
- The campaign confirms the tendency of a strong decrease of total number of infested potato fields because of an over-wintering potential which has stabilized since 1993 and the use of a well-managed chemical and biological control program by farmers and gardeners in Cotentin.
- There were no findings of Colorado beetles in Jersey and Guernsey.
It was noted that strengthening the awareness of farmers and the general public by issuing leaflets, publishing articles and providing warnings leads to a better understanding about the campaign. Some concerns were raised about the decision of France to reduce the use of pesticides by 50% over 10 years and how it may affect the Colorado beetle campaign.
The next meeting will be held on 4-5 December, 2012 in Guernsey.
