---
title: "European Commission assesses Toumeyella parvicornis spread in the Union and Italy's Thalassa montezumae trial; Predator release limited to Campania."
sdDatePublished: "2026-09-08T09:27:00Z"
source: "https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/P-10-2026-003438_EN.html"
topics:
  - name: "environmental pollution"
    identifier: "medtop:20000424"
  - name: "nature"
    identifier: "medtop:20000441"
  - name: "conservation"
    identifier: "medtop:20000420"
  - name: "international relations"
    identifier: "medtop:20000638"
  - name: "government policy"
    identifier: "medtop:20000621"
locations:
  - "Tuscany"
  - "Campania"
  - "Lazio"
  - "Italy"
---


European Commission assesses Toumeyella parvicornis spread in the Union and Italy's Thalassa montezumae trial; Predator release limited to Campania.

Protecting Italy’s stone pine forests from the critical threat posed by Toumeyella parvicornis

Protecting Italy’s stone pine forests from the critical threat posed by Toumeyella parvicornis

Priority question for written answer P-003438

2026 to the Commission Rule 144 Dario Nardella (S&D)

A soft scale insect of the Coccidae family more commonly known as the pine turtle cochineal, Toumeyella parvicornis is a North American parasite that has already devastated hundreds of hectares of stone pine (Pinus pinea) forests in Lazio and Campania. Since it was detected in Tirrenia in 2023, the pine turtle cochineal has spread to Tuscany’s coastal pine forests and has ravaged the Parco di Migliarino, San Rossore e Massaciuccoli’s Coltano and Tombolo estates.

However, in urban areas, trees can only be monitored, felled or subjected to endotherapy on an individual basis, and the latter measure is prohibited in forests and fragmented woodlands, the very ecosystems where Toumeyella parvicornis is running rampant. The Parco di Migliarino, San Rossore e Massaciuccoli has already sunk more than EUR 57 000 into efforts to treat 1 700 of its plants.

Though plans to release Thalassa montezumae – the only predator of pine turtle cochineal that the Council for Agricultural Research and Economic Analysis has so far managed to identify – were given the green light in August 2026, this experiment only concerns a specific area in Campania, and does include any of the Tuscan areas affected.

In the light of the above:

1. What information does the Commission have concerning the spread of T. parvicornis in the Union and the procedures, monitoring measures and expected outcomes of the Italian T. montezumae experiment?

2. Will the Commission work to ensure that efforts to identify any other species that pray on T. parvicornis are coordinated at European level?

What information does the Commission have concerning the spread of T. parvicornis in the Union and the procedures, monitoring measures and expected outcomes of the Italian T. montezumae experiment?

Will the Commission work to ensure that efforts to identify any other species that pray on T. parvicornis are coordinated at European level?

Last updated: 7 September 2026

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