Emerald ash borer detected for first time in the EU in Hungary and Slovakia
Authorities in Hungary and Slovakia have reported the first detection of the emerald ash borer in the European Union, raising concern over a pest that has already caused major ash-tree losses in North America and parts of Eastern Europe. The findings were announced on 16 July and involve separate detections in eastern Slovakia and in a forest area near Hungary's border with Ukraine. Officials say the discovery has triggered closer monitoring and additional trapping in Hungary.
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Slovakia's Agricultural Central Control and Testing Institute said 18 suspected emerald ash borers were found this month in the Streda nad Bodrogom district in the east of the country. In Hungary, the national food safety office said two adult beetles were found in June in a trap in the Beregsurany forest, close to the frontier with Ukraine. The office described the insect as one of the most serious pests affecting ash trees and said it has already caused significant ash-tree mortality in North America and Eastern Europe.
Hungarian authorities have ordered more traps to be laid and have stepped up monitoring to assess how far the beetle may have spread. The food safety office has also urged the public to report trees showing suspicious symptoms. Hungary's agriculture minister said the authorities were aware of the gravity of the situation and were doing everything possible to stop the pest becoming permanently established in the country or turning into a plant-health issue for the wider European Union.
The detections matter because ash trees are widely distributed across Europe and the beetle is known to be highly destructive once established. The insect, which can grow to about 1.4 centimetres as an adult, has killed tens of thousands of ash trees in the United States and Canada. Its appearance in the EU for the first time raises questions about whether containment measures can prevent a wider spread across borders and forest ecosystems.
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The beetle's arrival also places pressure on plant-health authorities to coordinate quickly, particularly in border regions where movement of infected wood or unnoticed infestations could accelerate spread. Hungary has already said it wants the issue discussed at the next meeting of EU agriculture ministers, suggesting the case may move from a national monitoring problem to a broader European policy discussion. Many European countries have emergency plans for the pest, reflecting long-standing concern that it could establish itself on the continent.
What remains unclear is how widely the beetle may already be present and whether the detections in Hungary and Slovakia are linked. Officials have not said whether the insects found in the two countries came from the same source or how long they may have been present. The next stage will depend on the results of expanded trapping and field checks, which will determine whether the detections remain isolated or point to a larger outbreak.
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