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The False Codling Moth: An unwanted stowaway
Tuesday 22 October 2024
The African codling moth, or False Codling Moth (FCM), is nothing new. If you ask Google, you will already find posts from 2016 on the first page of your results. So why is there now this fuss around this seemingly harmless little moth again? And who or what is this codling moth now?
The False Codling Moth is native to Sub-Saharan, Africa, and is found in all citrus production areas in Southern Africa. The codling moth is also found on some islands in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, such as Mauritius and Cape Verde. The reason for the high alert level of this pest is its quarantine status. Quarantine organisms are harmful organisms such as insects, fungi or bacteria that are not or rarely found in the EU. These organisms can create a pest that is very harmful to crops.
The codling moth lays its eggs on the citrus fruit and the larvae that hatch from them invade the fruit. An affected fruit usually falls off the tree 3-5 weeks after penetration by the larvae. Not surprisingly, due to a lobby of citrus growers in southern Europe, we have now reached the highest state of preparedness in the European Union.
How does that bother us in ornamental plant cultivation at the moment?
The rainy season means more FCM and more turmoil around the issue. Roses from countries where codling moth is present can carry FCM as stowaways. For this reason, the number of inspections has been increased from 10% to 25%, which automatically also means more FCM is found. Because FM Group mainly buys heavier-quality roses from higher farms, where the codling moth does not occur due to the climate there, we see little reason to panic. Still, it is good to take a moment to reflect and disclose.
What is happening in Africa to prevent FCM from coming along to Europe?
Control of FCM is done organically on farms. Setting traps and removing old leaves among the crop, where FCM thrives, is a first important step. In addition, continuous inspection takes place throughout the process: in the crop itself, during the bunching of the roses and in the packing department. The farms do this just as much out of self-interest - if FCM is found by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), the batch is destroyed and the nursery is banned from exporting until the codling moth problem is resolved. This does not stop at a warning; at the time of writing, two farms in Africa are temporarily banned from exporting.
Are there also checks in the Netherlands?
Yes indeed. Arriving in the Netherlands, African roses are again subjected to identity and physical checks. These checks are carried out by the KCB, an independent administrative body managed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) and the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). If the KCB finds a possible contamination, the larva is examined in the lab and the batch of roses is stopped. If it turns out to be a false alarm, the batch is still released. If FCM is indeed present in the batch, it is destroyed. So you can rest assured that the roses you buy from FM Group are free of codling moth.