MEP Wouter Beke (PPE) has asked the European Commission whether it plans to launch a study on a coordinated European strategy to tackle yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus), a fast-spreading weed that threatens farm incomes across several Member States. In a written parliamentary question dated 30 June 2026, Beke warned that current national rules on plant protection products, crop rotation and set-aside vary widely and often hamper effective control, while automatic cultivation restrictions after notification may discourage farmers from reporting infestations, worsening the spread.
The question, addressed to the Commission, contains three concrete asks: whether the Commission is aware of the growing problem, whether it intends to launch a study on a coordinated EU strategy covering monitoring, notification, prevention and integrated control, and how it plans to improve zonal authorisation, mutual recognition and the expansion of authorised uses of effective products while maintaining high environmental and health protection.
Beke's initiative signals a push for greater EU-level coordination in agricultural pest management, potentially leading to harmonised rules on monitoring and control measures. The question also highlights a tension between encouraging farmer reporting and imposing strict cultivation restrictions, which could create perverse incentives.
The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks. Its answer will indicate whether it sees a need for EU action or prefers to leave the issue to Member States under existing plant health and pesticide frameworks.