The 20 pests on the list published by the European Commission in October 2019 are quarantine pests that have been identified as top priorities for EU Member States based on the severity of the economic, social and environmental problems they can cause. They include Xylella fastidiosa, the Japanese beetle, the Asian long-horned beetle, citrus greening and citrus black spot.

Globalisation and climate change are redrawing the landscape of plant pest distribution. This trend poses a threat to natural and managed environments, agricultural and forestry production, ecosystems and biodiversity in the European Union territory. In the past decade the EU has been confronted with several large-scale outbreaks of new plant pests that have had significant impacts, such as Xylella fastidiosa and Hymenoscyphus fraxineus (the fungus that causes ash dieback). Against this background, the EU Plant Health legislation has been revised with the adoption of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031, commonly known as the Plant Health Law, which comes into effect in December 2019. Among the measures included in this legislation is the establishment of a list of the most dangerous pests on the EU’s umbrella list of quarantine pests.

The list is based on impact assessments carried out by EFSA and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) on a number of pests identified by the Commission. The assessments considered a number of indicators such as impact on crop yields, damage to trade and the cost of control measures; social consequences such as unemployment, reduced food safety and security, and impact on landscapes and cultural heritage; and damage to the environment such as reduced biodiversity and ecosystem services. The pests were then ranked according to how highly they “scored” across the different criteria.

For each pest, EFSA provided a report containing data on the following:

The information was derived from the most complete, up-to-date, pest categorisation(s) and/or pest risk assessment(s) carried out by EFSA, the European Plant Protection Organization (EPPO), and other European or non-European institutions. Additional information and data were obtained via literature search and complemented by expert contributions. Expert knowledge elicitations (EKEs) were conducted with groups of risk assessors and pest experts to estimate probability of impact, spread and time to detection. More information about the methodology used by EFSA can be found here.

For each of the listed pests, EU Member States will be required to carry out annual surveys, draw up and keep up to date a contingency plan, perform simulation exercises, communicate with the public, and adopt an eradication plan for any of the listed pests that are present in the Union territory. This means that the EU territory has a coordinated, harmonised preparedness strategy for protecting agriculture, the environment and the economy from dangerous pests.

“The whole EU territory is at risk from Xylella fastidiosa, and the more the scientific community works together on this issue, the quicker we’ll be to find solutions to tackle this pest.” That was how Claude Bragard, chair of EFSA’s Panel on Plant Health, summed up the importance of the conference on X. fastidiosa held in Corsica this week.

Around 350 plant health specialists from around the world attended the conference for two days of intensive discussions on how science can help find solutions to the plant pest that is causing environmental and economic damage across Europe. Hundreds of people followed proceedings via a special live web streaming of the event.

Prof Bragard praised the commitment of the conference participants, saying: “Science should not be kept in an ivory tower, and is better used when shared to inform collective knowledge.”

Giuseppe Stancanelli, head of EFSA’s plant health team, added: “This was yet another successful conference – following on from the event we held in Mallorca two years ago – with hundreds of experts from many countries coming together to discuss what is known about Xylella and what research still needs to be done.

“What we know today paves the way for the prioritisation of new research and new scientific findings to help us better understand and control one of the most dangerous plant bacteria in the world.”

The conference was organised jointly by EFSA; the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA); the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES); the Office de l’Environnement de la Corse (OEC) through its department the Conservatoire Botanique National de Corse; the EU-funded projects POnTE, XF-ACTORS, CURE-XF and EuroXanth; and the Euphresco network for phytosanitary research coordination and funding.

To mark the International Year of Plant Health, EFSA has launched a special website highlighting the work it is doing with its partners to combat plant pests and protect Europe’s cultivated and wild plants.

The website will be updated throughout the year with news and information on activities aimed at raising awareness about plant health in Europe and beyond.

Take a look: Working together to protect Europe’s plants