The lawyer spoke about the risks of seizing plots with hogweed

Changes have come into force in Russia, according to which the presence of Sosnovsky hogweed is no longer considered the basis for recognizing a land plot as unused. Irina Gritsenko, a lawyer at the Legal Policy Bar Association, told Izvestia about this. According to her, we are talking about the exclusion of one of the formal criteria, which previously could have given rise to claims from regulatory authorities.

"Previously, the presence of Sosnovsky hogweed in a significant part of the territory could be interpreted as a sign of overgrowth with perennial weeds, and therefore as an indicator of the absence of economic activity. Now the legislator has explicitly stated that hogweed is not included in this list," explained Hrytsenko.

She noted that for the owners, this means reducing legal risks.

"This means that the mere fact of its presence can no longer automatically indicate that the land has not been used. This is an important change for the owners, as it eliminates the situation when one biological factor became the basis for claims from regulatory authorities," the lawyer emphasized.

At the same time, the risk of land withdrawal cannot be completely eliminated.

"The risks have not been completely eliminated, but they have been significantly adjusted. It is now impossible to lose a plot solely because of the presence of hogweed - it is excluded as an independent sign of non—use. However, if the site as a whole is abandoned, not cultivated, there are no signs of agricultural activity, and the hogweed only complements the overall picture of neglect, then the risks remain," explained Hrytsenko.

According to her, the assessment of land use will continue to be carried out comprehensively.

"The regulatory authorities, as before, will look at the situation as a whole: whether the site is being used, whether agricultural activities are being carried out on it, whether the land is being cultivated or it is actually abandoned. It's just that now the mere fact of the presence of hogweed is not enough to conclude that the site has not been used," she added.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

Dangerous weed is illegal: the land plot will no longer be taken away because of the hogweed

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