{"id":1210,"date":"2026-05-22T19:25:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T18:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/from-2025-this-asphalt-piercing-plant-is-banned-for-sale-and-transport-across-the-eu\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T19:25:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T18:25:10","slug":"from-2025-this-asphalt-piercing-plant-is-banned-for-sale-and-transport-across-the-eu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/from-2025-this-asphalt-piercing-plant-is-banned-for-sale-and-transport-across-the-eu\/","title":{"rendered":"From 2025, this asphalt-piercing plant is banned for sale and transport across the EU"},"content":{"rendered":"

It grows faster than bamboo, pierces asphalt, and can survive for years underground. Once marketed as a decorative plant, Japanese knotweed is now banned in the European Union. Behind this decision lies a blend of ecology and unusual gastronomy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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How Japanese Knotweed Silently Destroys Roads, Gardens, and Foundations<\/h2>\n

In the 19th century, European botanists brought in the Japanese knotweed<\/strong> for its ornamental appeal. Yet the plant soon proved far from harmless. Its broad, elegant leaves and bamboo-like stems captivated botanists. Alarm bells quickly rang out. In some gardens, the plant advanced by several meters in a single season, swallowing fences and entire beds.<\/p>\n

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In 2022, researchers at INRAE observed an even more spectacular phenomenon. The plant’s roots can exert up to 50 tonnes of pressure per square meter<\/strong>, enough to crack a pavement or undermine foundations. Underground, its rhizomes can extend two meters deep and spread far beyond the visible zone.<\/p>\n

The most troubling aspect remains its survival capacity. A simple rhizome fragment<\/strong> weighing ten grams is enough to recolonize an entire plot. A clump of soil displaced after construction, a stem forgotten in a ditch, or an involuntary transport can trigger a new invasion several years later.<\/p>\n

Why the European Union Has Banned Japanese Knotweed Since 2025<\/h2>\n

As of August 7, 2025, the European Union officially lists Japanese knotweed among the invasive exotic species of concern<\/strong>. This decision bans its sale, transport, and planting throughout the EU. For local authorities, the move signals a turning point after years of often ineffective battles.<\/p>\n

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In some French municipalities, local authorities are already spending thousands of euros to eradicate just a few tens of square meters of contaminated land. Riverbanks are particularly vulnerable. When the stems die in winter, they leave the soils bare and fragile, promoting erosion and flooding<\/strong> during heavy rains.<\/p>\n

Moreover, the issue is becoming legal as well. In the United Kingdom, property owners must declare the presence of the plant when selling a property. In France, several recent court decisions now discuss civil liability when knotweed spreads to neighboring lands or protected areas.<\/p>\n

Young Knotweed Shoots Are Still Gathered and Cooked in Spring<\/h2>\n

Yet every year, between March and May, a small number of enthusiasts harvest the young shoots of knotweed. Plucked very early, before they become fibrous, they develop a tart flavor reminiscent of wild rhubarb. In some kitchens, they even end up in pies, compotes, or jams. This discreet tradition intrigues as much as it surprises.<\/p>\n

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In Japan, where the plant is known as itadori<\/strong>, locals sometimes salt the young stems and press them under a stone in a preparation akin to lacto-fermentation. Yet some ecologists warn that this famous \u201cgastric eradication\u201d<\/em> remains symbolic. Even harvested regularly, the plant produces a biomass well beyond what harvesters can remove every spring.<\/p>\n

Behind This Invasive Plant, a Compound Studied by Biologists Worldwide<\/h2>\n

Japanese knotweed hides yet another surprise. It is regarded as one of the richest plant sources of resveratrol<\/strong>, a molecule also found in grapes and red wine. Since the 1990s, this substance has drawn the attention of biologists for its studied roles in cellular aging and certain inflammatory diseases.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, this chemical richness now fuels a real industry. In China, several thousand tons of rhizomes are processed each year to produce dietary supplements<\/strong> for the global market. The plant, which costs European authorities millions of euros in eradication efforts, becomes elsewhere a valuable economic resource. A delicate question remains for wild foragers.<\/p>\n

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The knotweed often grows on disturbed soils, near former industrial wastelands, alongside roads, or on contaminated ground. Indeed, this species readily absorbs certain heavy metals<\/strong>. Behind its tart young shoots and its remarkable resilience, the plant continues to blur the boundaries between ecological threat<\/strong>, culinary curiosity, and scientific resource.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1211,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1467,1468,424,1469,1470],"class_list":["post-1210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-asphaltpiercing","tag-banned","tag-plant","tag-sale","tag-transport","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1210"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1210\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1212,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1210\/revisions\/1212"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}