The 1st European Workshop on “Harmful Organisms and the EU Plant Health Policy was organised by the Benaki Phytopathological Institute (BPI) in the framework of FP7-REGPOT-2008-1: BPI Plant-Heal 23001-“Development of Benaki Phytopathological Institute as a Centre of Excellence in Plant Health and Crop Protection” (http://www.bpi-plantheal.gr). The Workshop was held on the 27th and 28th May 2010 in Kifissia (Athens), Greece, and was attended by more than 100 participants including many phytosanitary inspectors, representatives of the Hellenic Ministry of Rural Development and Food, as well as members of Academic or Research institutions and private companies.

Invited speakers (6) from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the Food and Environmental Research Agency (FERA, UK), the Instituto Valenciano de Investigationes Agrarias (IVIA, Spain) and the Plant Protection Institute (PPI, Bulgaria) analysed issues related to plant health risk assessment and analysis (PRA), pest risk alert systems, phytosanitary legislation and existing weaknesses, as well as building research priorities within the EU. Invited speakers from Greece (7) analysed the current and immerging risks for plant health in Greece (see programme of the meeting in this website).

At the end of the meeting, the following conclusions were drawn:

First, it was acknowledged that a great effort is recently being made in Greece for the implementation of the EU and national legislation for Plant Health. BPI, as the Reference Institute, plays an important role in generating methodologies and guidelines for phytosanitary inspections, developing detection assays, carrying out national surveys and undertaking some of the laboratory diagnostic tests. This role is expected to be reinforced by the completion of the Institute’s existing infrastructure with P2-P3 containment greenhouse facilities that will host and promote research on quarantine plant organisms, as envisaged by the BPI Plant-Heal 23001 project.

During the meeting several weaknesses were pointed out with respect to the EU legislation and policy on plant health:

     •    Lists of pests do not always meet the needs of the Southern EU-Member States
     •    Important lapse in time is observed between recommendations issued by Alert systems and implementation of regulation at the EU level
     •    Phytosanitary inspections in the protected zones are insufficient
     •    Visual inspections for issuing phytosanitary passports are inadequate
     •    Laboratory tests are not always reliable
     •    Biological control agents and alien plant species are not regulated
     •    People and customs authorities are not always aware of the risks posed by trade and illegal imports of plants and plant products

Actions to alleviate some of the above drawbacks include:

     •    Revision of existing lists of harmful organisms based on Pest Risk Analyses (PRAs)
     •    Performance of a greater number of Pest Risk Analyses (PRAs)
     •    Enhanced participation of the Southern EU-Member States in the EU and EPPO panels for plant health
     •    Intensification of import controls of plants and plant products
     •    Improvement of the methodology and efficacy of controls for issuing plant passports

The following actions were proposed at national level:

    •    Restructuring of the Phytosanitary Authorities and Services with the view to become autonomous
    •    Assess the impact of plant health of plants and plant products on the national economy and the environment
    •    Intensify national participation in EU and EPPO panels for plant health to support State priorities
    •    Enhance public and grower awareness on plant health issues as well as their willingness to take initiatives

Academic and Research Institutes can play an important role at a Νational and European level by:

    •    Developing/improving sampling and diagnostic protocols for harmful organisms
    •    Providing biological, epidemiological and economic data required for the generation of Pest Risk Analyses
    •    Training the Phytosanitary Services, farmers and stakeholders on issues related to quarantine organisms
    •    Increasing the public awareness on the risks of illegal traffic of plant material

Lastly, the need for the EU-Member States to intensify phytosanitary controls and surveys in order to promptly implement eradication/containment measures and establish pest-free areas was acknowledged by all the participants.
Presentations Agenda Poster

The Οrganising Committee