NEWS105
13
Ricepaddy inThailand.The small inset photo
shows theeggsof a
Pomacea
apple snail.
Not necessarily, at least in Germany. As
although thebanon the importation,sale,
possession,maintenance,andbreedingof
apple snails applies EU-wide, its
enforcement is up to the individual EU
member states. As there is no rice
cultivation in Germany or likely to be in
the future, and as feral apple snails are
unlikely to become established in our
climate at all, the authorities probably
won’t be particularly active. But the
picture is likely to be different if apple
snails of the genus Pomacea are offered
and sold at auctions,on the Internet,or in
small adverts. In such casesprosecution is
likely, so suchactivities arebest avoided.
Alternatives
Anyone who wants to continue keeping
and breeding apple snails legally can do
so.You can resort to the
Pila
species that
are imported from Thailand, or to the
attractive South American species
Asolene spixi (Zebra Apple Snail) which
lays its eggsunderwater.
Theoutlook
It is a pity that the EU authorities were
unable to see their way clear to allow the
harmless
Pomaceadiffusa
inall its colorful
cultivated forms to remain legally
saleable, as these snails are really
unmistakable.
But the order does state that it is to be
reviewed before the 28th February 2015.
Maybe the apple-snail world will again
lookquitedifferent in threeyears time…..
Wild-colored
Pomaceadiffusa
Literatur:
Ministeriodemedioambienteymedio rural
ymarino (2011):Pest riskanalysison the
introductionof Pomacea insularum
(dOrbigny,1835) into theEU.45pp
EuropeanFoodSafetyAuthority (2012):
Statement on the identityof apple snails.
EFSA Journal 2012,10 (4):2645,11pp
