37^th Meeting of the Colorado Beetle Campaign Committee

St Martin's, Guernsey, 2012-10-23/24

The 37th Meeting of the Colorado Beetle Campaign Committee took place in St Martin’s, Guernsey at the kind invitation of the Commerce and Employment Department Raymond Falla House. 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.

Representatives from the Regional Service for Plant Protection of Basse-Normandie, Guernsey, Jersey and United Kingdom presented their reports of the campaign. 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 5 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. An analysis on how the political decision of France to reduce use of pesticides by 50% over 10 years may affect the Colorado beetle campaign was discussed. The next meeting will be held on 3-4 December, 2013 in Paris.