Part of 2. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs – in the Senedd at 2:22 pm on 23 November 2016.
Well, you are aware, obviously, of the results of the chemical trials that were held by Swansea University. They were published last year, and I think what they showed was there wasn’t a one-hit wonder, really, in relation to tackling this very difficult condition. There has been a planned series of treatments, which is absolutely the key to having effective control. I don’t know if Members are aware, but since the trial ended, the most effective herbicide tested, piclorum, has now been withdrawn from the market. We are continuing to fund biocontrol projects, and that really builds on the successes of the earlier trials. The phase that we’re looking at now will focus upon psyllid establishment with release to a wider range of sites, using enhanced release methods with new psyllid stock from Japan. I think the aim is for, then, the insects to suppress Japanese knotweed’s vigour so it won’t be the aggressive invader that it is now.