Note that invasive plants are those whose massive distribution poses a threat to the life or health of citizens, the preservation of biological diversity, etc. It is precisely these “positions” that hogweed occupied in the ecosystem of various regions, for example, in the Moscow region.
It is necessary to solve one of the main environmental problems, which we all know, said Timofey Bazhenov, member of the Committee on Ecology, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the State Duma. “This is an excessive proliferation of territories with Sosnovsky’s hogweed, which has parasitized our lands for a long time. Today, the current legislation has loopholes that allowed hogweed to spread in our territories,” said the parliamentarian.
One of the authors, State Duma deputy Sergei Kolunov, explained to RG that with this bill the authorities oblige owners and tenants of land, regardless of its purpose, to take measures to combat invasive plants. The obligations will be set out in the Land Code and the list of such plants will be approved by the Russian government, but Sosnovsky’s hogweed will definitely be included in it, the parliamentarian added. “This is a plant that, when sprayed, gives a terrible effect and has a negative impact on the soil and people’s health,” he said.
Failure by owners and tenants to comply with their obligations will give rise to a penalty that is already prescribed in article 8.7 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. Failure to comply with legal requirements will now lead to fines: for citizens – from 20 to 50 thousand rubles, for legal entities – from 400 to 700 thousand rubles.
The co-authors of this initiative were 17 deputies. In the explanatory note, they noted that one Sosnovsky hogweed plant can produce up to 20 thousand seeds. At the same time, it inhibits the growth of other plants. And some owners do not provide any access to their property, the authors added.
If finally adopted, the initiative could come into force on September 1, 2024.
Previously, the State Duma adopted a resolution urging the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation to study the issue of making changes to the Code of Administrative Offenses, which would entail increasing fines for failure to take measures to combat hogweed.
Comments
Nadezhda Shkolkina, First Deputy Chairman of the Economic Policy Committee of the State Duma, co-author of the bill:
– Hogweed has lost its status as an agricultural crop and was included in the industrial classification of weeds of the Russian Federation and is a particularly dangerous weed.
This vegetation is resistant to unfavorable climatic conditions. In addition, it has a greater reproductive capacity, which actively inhibits the growth of other plant species, displacing natural vegetation. It also allows the formation of hogweed plantations of various densities and surfaces ranging from several square meters to tens and hundreds of hectares.
On the other hand, it should be noted that hogweed juice is poisonous and toxic, as it contains substances that cause burns upon contact with human skin, which causes serious damage to human health and, in some cases, can lead to death. .
In this sense, it is necessary to take immediate measures to reduce and completely destroy the growth centers of this plant. The bill is one of the measures aimed at combating hogweed.
Sergey Gavrilov, chairman of the specialized committee of the State Duma on issues of property, land and property relations:
– The effectiveness of the measures in the fight against this type of plants is associated not so much with the responsibility of the owners, but with the preparation of real levers of assistance to local authorities and citizens, from the point of view of the development of new means to combat hogweed. and material assistance in this process.
The fight against dangerous plants is important not only in the context of preserving the biological diversity of ecosystems and increasing the productivity of agricultural lands. And above all, ensure the safety of citizens, especially children, in summer. It is necessary to provide a source of financing to ensure measures to combat hogweed, as well as scientific advances in the field of combating this dangerous plant.
Alexey Govyrin, deputy of the State Duma:
– Almost 300 thousand hectares of our country suffer from hogweed outbreaks. You should not believe in myths about its benefits. Hogweed can cause not only burns, but also blindness. It is necessary to avoid contact with this plant, especially during hours when there is a lot of dew. Contact with the stems or contact with hogweed juice on the skin causes photochemical burns, which can take several months to heal or have serious consequences.
You can work with Sosnovsky’s hogweed yourself only on cloudy days to avoid irradiating parts of the body that have received plant juice from sunlight. On a large area, work must be carried out in special clothing: a waterproof suit with a hood, rubber gloves and boots, safety glasses and a respirator.
Small areas can be cut with gloves, long-sleeved, closed-neck synthetic clothing, and safety glasses.
After working with hogweed, you should wash exposed areas of the body with soap and water and wipe them with cologne or alcohol. The cut cow parsnip should not be left abandoned in its place. After all, the generative shoot of hogweed has a large reserve of nutrients in the stem, enough for the seeds to ripen in the main umbrella of the fallen plant.
Hogweeds should not be cut while the seeds are falling from the plants, as this will lead to even further dispersal of the hogweeds.
