The PlantHealth4Life campaign highlights the importance of plant health and teaches people how to prevent the spread of plant pests. Everyone should learn to recognize harmful pests.
The PlantHealth4Life campaign by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Finnish Food Authority raises awareness about plant health and encourages people to help prevent the spread of plant pests. Plant health is essential for food security, biodiversity, and the economy.
Plant pests can spread to new areas through tourism, trade, and climate change, among other factors. Plant health should also be considered when travelling. Although bringing back plants or seeds as souvenirs may seem appealing, they can introduce new plant pests into Finland. There are therefore restrictions on importing plants, and plants and seeds from outside the EU may only be imported with a phytosanitary certificate.
Keep potatoes safe
Although the growing season is only beginning, everyone can already start learning to identify plant pests. For example, the Colorado beetle is one of the most significant pests affecting potatoes, and it may also spread to Finland. For this reason, not only professional growers but also home gardeners should carefully monitor their potato crops.
“Suspected findings of the Colorado beetle, like all suspected quarantine pests, must be reported to the Finnish Food Authority without delay. Individual observations can play a major role in preventing the outbreak of plant pests, and rapid action can prevent more extensive damage,” says Senior Specialist Miia Pasanen from the Finnish Food Authority.
Adult Colorado beetles and their larvae feed on potato leaves and, in the worst cases, can destroy entire yield. Monitoring for beetles in potato fields should begin around Midsummer. The species spreads to Finland, among other ways, through air currents from the Baltic countries and Russia. A warming climate increases the beetle’s chances of survival and the risk of establishing permanent populations. This summer, the Finnish Food Authority will increase inspections of potato fields for Colorado beetles.
“Recent findings demonstrate how important plant health monitoring is. In recent years, several occurrences of the Colorado beetle have been detected, some of which are likely to have overwintered in Finland. Rapid action can prevent the species from becoming established in Finland,” Miia Pasanen says.
Read more about plant pests (in Finnish)
Report a quarantine pest (in Finnish)
More information
Miia Pasanen
Senior Specialist
Finnish Food Authority
miia.pasanen@ruokavirasto.fi
About the campaign
#PlantHealth4Life is a multiannual and multinational campaign led by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European Commission, and 22 European countries. The campaign aims to improve understanding of the close connection between plant health and everyday life and to encourage citizens to take action to protect plant health. The #PlantHealth4Life website provides information and materials on the topic in all EU languages. The materials can be shared, for example, on social media.
The Finnish Food Authority works to promote food safety, animal health and welfare, and plant health, supports the vitality of rural areas, and develops and maintains information systems, digital services, and registers.