Seed-borne pests and phytosanitary issues: The role of EPPO

Abstract

Since a number of important pests are seed-borne or seed-transmissible, the movement of infested seed may pose a risk for the international spread of pests. One of the main roles of the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) is to help its member countries to prevent entry or spread of dangerous pests. The Organization has therefore been given the task of identifying pests which may present a risk for the region (early warning), evaluating them and making proposals on the phytosanitary measures which can mitigate the risk. Once a pest has been identified as presenting a risk for the EPPO region, guidance on how to detect and identify it are developed (phytosanitary procedures for inspection and diagnostic protocols) as well as recommendations on how to eradicate and/or control it. To perform these activities, EPPO collects information and makes it available to its member countries. Different databases have been developed including PQR (Plant Quarantine data Retrieval system) and the EPPO database on Diagnostic expertise. In addition to pest-specific activities, EPPO also develops recommendations for quality assurance in laboratories, in order to harmonize procedures in the EPPO region and improve diagnostic quality. The different activities conducted in this framework are presented with a special focus on activities related to seed-borne pests.