They are small, fast and pose a growing threat to our food production: red bugs are spreading rapidly across German fields. In Baden-Württemberg in particular, they are causing increasing concern among farmers. As reported by ‘topagrar’ and ‘Lebensmittelpraxis’, among others, these pests are now attacking not only vegetable fields and orchards, but also greenhouse crops. The damage to fruit and vegetables is getting worse, with sometimes dramatic consequences for harvests.

Damage to fruit and vegetables is increasing significantly

The list of affected crops is growing: cucumbers, aubergines and peppers are particularly at risk. Strawberries are also being added to this list. The bugs suck the young shoots until they die. This results in discolouration, deformation and a significant loss of quality.

Christine Dieckhoff from the Baden-Württemberg Agricultural Centre is sounding the alarm: ‘We are seeing an increase in damage,’ the insect expert told ‘topagrar’. The damage caused by bugs is not new in itself. But until now, the culprits were mainly introduced species, such as the marbled bug. Now, native bugs are increasingly destroying entire crops – a new phenomenon that is increasingly worrying experts and posing existential challenges for farmers.

Difficult to combat

The situation is complicated by the high mobility of these insects: soft bugs can fly and climb fruit trees three metres high with ease. Their agility makes targeted control measures difficult. Added to this is the fact that these insects used to live in meadows and not in trees. But the biggest challenge lies elsewhere: farmers simply do not have the means to combat these pests effectively. ‘For years, more and more plant protection products have been losing their authorisation,’ explains Ulrich Theileis, president of the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative Federation (BWGV).

Producers complain that the toolbox for pest control is becoming increasingly empty. As a result, emergency authorisations are on the rise. This is an ‘untenable situation,’ as Theileis points out. If no regular products are authorised, agriculture will have to rely on exemptions.

Dishonest emergency authorisations

Baden-Württemberg's Agriculture Minister Peter Hauk (CDU) also takes a critical view of emergency authorisations. ‘This approach creates unnecessary bureaucracy and, in times of climate change, brings more uncertainty than predictability for users,’ he said. Acute treatment is not a long-term strategy. There must be a sufficient number of active substance groups available, which ‘is not incompatible with reducing the use of plant protection products’. It is essential to have a sufficient number of different modes of action: only if several plant protection products are available for each indication – i.e. for each pest or disease and each crop – can the development of resistance be prevented. Emergency authorisations also pose a problem for plant protection product companies: they offer no legal certainty or planning security, which is untenable. In Switzerland, too, the number of authorised plant protection products is constantly decreasing, while emergency authorisations are on the rise. This proves that agriculture without effective plant protection is an illusion, just like a healthcare system without effective medicines. Emergency authorisations should remain the exception – the current practice is a sham.

Politicians are dithering – and have been doing so for years

The soft bug is not an isolated case. Other pests are also causing problems for the authorities. To combat the window leafhopper, the German Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) also had to resort to emergency authorisations. The situation is getting worse, and not only in Germany. Similar reports are coming in from Austria and Switzerland.

The problem is not new. Last year, insects such as the Japanese beetle, the mining moth and the Mediterranean fruit fly threatened to destroy entire crops. Without effective plant protection products, agriculture lacks an essential tool for ensuring food yields and quality.

Given the recurring nature of the problems, the lack of determination on the part of politicians is surprising. Every year, farmers face the same challenges and watch, increasingly helpless, as their crops are destroyed by pests. Calls for effective, modern and tested plant protection products are growing louder, while food imports are on the rise.