Emerald ash borer found in EU for first time in Hungary and Slovakia

An Asia-origin beetle that has severely damaged ash forests in North America has been detected in the European Union for the first time, with findings in Hungary and Slovakia, authorities said.

Slovakia's Agricultural Central Control and Testing Institute, known as UKSUP, said 18 emerald ash borers were found this month in the Streda nad Bodrogom district in eastern Slovakia. Hungary's NEBIH food safety office said two adult emerald ash borers were found in June in a trap in the Beregsurany forest, near Hungary's border with Ukraine.

NEBIH described the emerald ash borer as one of the most serious pests affecting ash trees and said it had already caused significant ash tree mortality in North America and Eastern Europe. Adult beetles can grow up to 1.4 centimetres, or 0.5 inches.

Hungarian authorities have ordered more traps and increased monitoring to assess the beetle's spread. NEBIH has also asked the public to report trees showing suspicious symptoms.

The beetle has killed tens of thousands of ash trees in the United States and Canada, and many European countries have emergency plans prepared in case it is detected on the continent. Hungary has asked for the beetle's presence to be placed on the agenda for the next meeting of EU agriculture ministers.

Hungarian Agriculture Minister Szabolcs Bona told the Agroinform.hu farm news website that authorities were aware of the seriousness of the situation and were working to prevent the pest from becoming permanently established in Hungary or becoming a plant health problem for the wider European Union.