Our Work:

• RSS news feeds
• Enewsletter
• Briefing (Members only)

Print this page >

Below are our latest press releases and news stories on recent policy developments. Items can be filtered by topic and/or year, and by press releases or news items.

You can also view our recent newsletters The Briefing and sign up for our RSS Feeds.

News items are featured in our monthly eNewsletter, which is circulated to all of our members. Find out more about becoming a member of Environmental Protection UK.

Insect to Combat Japanese Knotweed | 12 Mar 2010

The Government has given the go-ahead for the release of a Japanese insect to help stop the spread of the invasive Japanese Knotweed plant.

The decision follows extensive research by CABI – a world expert in natural control methods – into the best way to combat Japanese Knotweed with the least impact on the environment.

The psyllid is a natural predator of Japanese Knotweed and it is hoped the insects will act as a natural form of pest control. The insect has been tested on over 90 types of plants in the UK to ensure it does not attack other plants.

If the first phase of release is successful, the insect will be released at further sites where it will continue to be monitored. This is the first time that insects have been used to help control the spread of a non-native invasive plant in Europe.

Wildlife Minister Huw Irranca-Davies said: "Japanese Knotweed causes over £150 million worth of damage and disruption throughout the UK every year. This project is not only ground-breaking, it offers real hope that we can redress the balance.

"These tiny insects, which naturally prey on Japanese Knotweed, will help free local authorities and industry from the huge cost of treating and killing this devastating plant."

Chair of Environment and Sustainability expert panel at the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Ian Nicholson said: "The ICE welcomes any advances in providing solutions to this invasive species, provided of course they do not produce any other negative impacts on the environment."

Listed by the World Conservation Union as one of the world's 100 worst invasive species, Japenese Knotweed is a devastating plant which grows vigorously at a rate of up to a metre a month and can break through concrete and tarmac, causing extensive damage to roads and buildings.

Further information on the trials and control of Japanese Knotweed can be found at www.cabi.org/japaneseknotweedalliance/