Urgent warning over food crops being destroyed by rising stowaway pests and non-native frogs invading Britain
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SNAKES, frogs and lizards have been caught entering mainland Europe and the UK on potted plants and cut flowers, according to scientists. These "hitchhiking intruders" could cause severe damage to crops and the countryside, experts at the University of Cambridge have warned in a new study.
![[Lizard on a log.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/NINTCHDBPICT000964431939.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Snakes and Italian wall lizards have been imported into countries like the Netherlands undetected among ornamental olive trees. While a South American tree frog was spotted in a bunch of roses at a florist's shop in Sheffield. Experts said that if live animals are getting past the border, then much smaller and more invasive insects and fungi could too.
![[Several potted olive trees in a garden center.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/www-cam-ac-uk-stories-964428051.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
“Adult snakes and lizards are just the tip of the iceberg," Professor William Sutherland, of the university's Zoology department, warned. "If they’re getting through, what’s the chance of us spotting small insects and fungi – the things that really cause the problems?".
![[Large warehouse filled with crates of colorful flowers.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/www-cam-ac-uk-stories-964428180.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Regulations and border checks are currently in place. But with potted plants becoming increasingly popular, the sheer volume of them being traded at speed makes it extremely difficult to intercept all the pests and diseases they carry, Dr Silviu Petrovan, of the university's Zoology department and senior author of the study, said.
![[Green tree frog on a plant.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/www-cam-ac-uk-stories-964432199.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
"Even with the best of intentions, unwanted hitchhikers are getting through customs import checks all the time," he said. Nevertheless, researchers have urged that the standards must be "urgently" improved and for data on risks from trade to be collected and shared.
