Two aquatic plants have now been added to the European Union’s list of EU concern for invasive species.

Traders now have 12 months to sell any remaining stock of Giant Salvinia (Salvinia molesta) and Senegal tea plant (Gymnocoronis spilanthoides).

To continue to sell these two plants next year retailers will need to be able to demonstrate they ordered the plants before 14 August 2019. No plants can be sold after 14 August 2020.

Stripped eel catfish (Plotosus lineatus) and pumpkinseed fish (Lepomis gibbosus) have also joined the same list and are subject to the same rules. Traders have 12 months to sell existing stock.

“We were pleased that water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) which was due to join these plants for a ban, has been given a temporary reprieve because this is an important plant for the UK market. We continue to talk to the EU about how we might avoid a future ban of this particular plant,” said OATA’s Chief Executive Dominic Whitmee.

“It is also a continuing disappointment that regulations to enforce these sales bans are still not in place within the UK although we understand it is supposed to come into effect in December this year. We would urge people to continue to report illegal sales to the relevant authorities which hopefully will be more willing to crackdown on offenders as soon as they have the right powers to act.”