European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO)

New Capabilities

Tracks the pest's spread; classifies it as a dangerous quarantine organism

A resident of Bács-Kiskun County, in southern Hungary near the Serbian border, photographed an unfamiliar insect on their property this summer and sent the images to the national food safety office. Laboratory tests confirmed it was the spotted lanternfly, an Asian pest that has caused an estimated $554 million in annual losses in Pennsylvania alone. The find is the first confirmed detection anywhere in the European Union.

Updated 1 hour ago