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Aims

The overall aim of Improving current understanding and research for sustainable control of the poultry red mite dermanyssus gallinae – COREMI is to better understand and research the poultry red mite, in order to find a sustainable method of control. Poultry red mites are the most significant pest in poultry in Europe and current norms for poultry red mites/hen cannot be considered acceptable and must be reduced.

COREMI will look to advance and disseminate comprehensive Integrated Pest Management for poultry red mites by collating knowledge of mite biology, the mite-host relationship and novel control and coordinating further research work in the area. This information will be used to produce industry ‘Gold Standards’ for poultry red mite prevention and control, tailored to individual countries and production systems. A more complete understanding of poultry red mite impact to poultry and other sectors, including public health, will also be achieved through the Action.

Additional avenues for poultry red mite control, such as vaccination and resistance breaking, are also being researched at various institutions in the EU. These methods remain further from market than those above, but may make important contributions to poultry red mite control in the future, particularly if combined with supporting study, for example to map and genetically characterise poultry red mite resistance at a European scale.