Estonia spends nearly 400,000 fighting invasive hogweed across 2,500 hectares

The Estonian Environment Agency has commissioned invasive hogweed control works across more than 2,500 hectares this year. The operations will cost nearly 390,000 and continue until September.

Estonia's Environment Agency has launched a major campaign against invasive hogweed species, commissioning control works across more than 2,500 hectares of land in 2025. The effort, costing nearly 390,000, is set to run through September.

Hogweed, particularly the giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) and Sosnowsky's hogweed, are considered among the most problematic invasive plant species in Estonia. The plants spread aggressively, outcompeting native vegetation and posing a health hazard to people — contact with the plant's sap combined with sunlight can cause severe burns.

The Environment Agency regularly funds removal and suppression efforts each year as part of Estonia's broader invasive species management strategy. The scale of this year's campaign reflects the ongoing challenge of keeping the fast-spreading plants in check across the country's fields, roadsides, and waterways.