In the
European Union, Sosnowsky's hogweed is included since 2016 in the list of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern (the Union list). This implies that this species cannot be imported, cultivated, transported, sold commercially, planted, or intentionally released into the environment in the whole of the EU.
Control measures The plant was common only in the Caucasus area until the late 1940s, when Pyotr Vavilov, a Soviet agricultural scientist, persuaded the
Lenin All-Union Academy of Agriculture to grow the plant throughout the country for
silage in order to restore Soviet agriculture following
World War II, arguing that the plant has high nutritional value for agricultural animals and high
crop yield. At the time, the plant's invasiveness and toxicity for humans was not considered. The plant started to be cultivated in other parts of the
Soviet Union. As a result, it quickly spread in many areas of Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. It is now a highly
invasive plant in the Baltic States, Russia, Poland, and Belarus. Many river valleys and roadsides host large stands of this weed. It is difficult to eradicate because the seeds remain viable for many years and the roots are difficult to remove.
Herbicides are widely used in a fight against it, but the plant can later resprout from the roots. The plant is also used as a shield-hedge along the roads, preventing farm animals from escaping and wild animals from getting in. In February 2024, several lawmakers in the
State Duma of Russia introduced a so-called "anti-hogweed bill" that would require property owners to remove the plant from their properties and impose a 50,000 ruble ($540) fine for individuals and 700,000 rubles ($7,550) for legal entities who fail to do so. ==Phototoxicity==