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The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) requested the Panel on Plant Health (PLH Panel) to provide guidance for the evaluation of the effectiveness of the options for plants and plant products for reducing the risk of introduction and spread of harmful organisms in the European Union territory. Two operational tools are presented: a checklist for evaluating a proposed risk reduction option (RRO) and a database of references corresponding to published guidance documents or experimental assessments of RROs. The checklist can be used by the Panel or the dossier-submitting parties to verify whether all required information is provided in support of a RRO, to quickly describe information supplied to EFSA and to identify major gaps in the data. Four types of RRO assessments are distinguished in the proposed checklist according to their purposes and characteristics: experimental assessment of the effectiveness of the option to reduce pest infestation in plant material/products under laboratory/controlled conditions; experimental assessment of the effectiveness of the option to reduce pest infestation in plant material/products under operational conditions; analysis of the applicability of the RRO; and assessment of the effectiveness of the option to reduce the risk of pest entry from an infested area to a pest-free area. The database of references is intended to assist the Panel in (i) identifying potential RROs for a given pest and plant material, and (ii) quickly retrieving relevant experimental data and guidance documents for assessing a proposed RRO. In addition, the current document provides recommendations for assessing RROs, specifically: on experimental design; on the use of statistical methods including approaches for studying uncertainty; on the use of quantitative pathway analysis and spread models describing their advantages and limitations; and on recommendations for general surveillance and specific surveys. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) requested the Panel on Plant Health (PLH Panel) to provide guidance for the evaluation of the effectiveness of the options for plants and plant products for reducing the risk of introduction and spread of harmful organisms in the European Union territory. Two operational tools are presented: a checklist for evaluating a proposed risk reduction option (RRO) and a database of references corresponding to published guidance documents or experimental assessments of RROs. The checklist can be used by the Panel or the dossier-submitting parties to verify whether all required information is provided in support of a RRO, to quickly describe information supplied to EFSA and to identify major gaps in the data. Four types of RRO assessments are distinguished in the proposed checklist according to their purposes and characteristics: experimental assessment of the effectiveness of the option to reduce pest infestation in plant material/products under laboratory/controlled conditions; experimental assessment of the effectiveness of the option to reduce pest infestation in plant material/products under operational conditions; analysis of the applicability of the RRO; and assessment of the effectiveness of the option to reduce the risk of pest entry from an infested area to a pest-free area. The database of references is intended to assist the Panel in (i) identifying potential RROs for a given pest and plant material, and (ii) quickly retrieving relevant experimental data and guidance documents for assessing a proposed RRO. In addition, the current document provides recommendations for assessing RROs, specifically: on experimental design; on the use of statistical methods including approaches for studying uncertainty; on the use of quantitative pathway analysis and spread models describing their advantages and limitations; and on recommendations for general surveillance and specific surveys.

The European Commission requested EFSA’s Panel on Plant Health to perform the pest categorisation for the 24 viruses of the Tospovirus genus for the EU territory. The following tospoviruses were analysed: Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), Impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV), Iris yellow spot virus (IYSV), Polygonum ringspot virus (PolRSV), Groundnut ringspot virus (GRSV), Tomato chlorotic spot virus (TCSV), Alstroemeria necrotic streak virus (ANSV), Chrysanthemum stem necrosis virus (CSNV), Melon severe mosaic virus (MSMV), Tomato yellow (fruit) ring virus (TYRV), Tomato zonate spot virus (TZSV), Groundnut yellow spot virus (GYSV), Groundnut chlorotic fan-spot virus (GCFSV), Groundnut bud necrosis virus (GBNV), Zucchini lethal chlorosis virus (ZLCV), Capsicum chlorosis virus (CaCV), Watermelon bud necrosis virus (WBNV), Watermelon silver mottle virus (WSMoV), Tomato necrotic ringspot virus (TNRV), Calla lily chlorotic spot virus (CCSV), Melon yellow spot virus (MYSV), Soybean vein necrosis associated virus (SVNaV), Bean necrotic mosaic virus (BeNMV) and Pepper necrotic spot virus (PNSV). In reaching its conclusions, the Panel considered four parameters to be of critical importance in the risk assessment area: (i) the presence of a tospovirus, (ii) the existence of host plants, (iii) the existence of thrips vector species and (iv) the potential for damage to crops grown in Europe. Based on its analysis, the Panel concluded that the 24 viruses analysed could be allocated to four different risk groups. Seven viruses (GRSV, TCSV, ANSV, CSNV, MSMV, TYRV, TZSV) for which both thrips species vectors and natural or experimental hosts crops are present in the EU territory were considered by the Panel to represent the highest risk to the EU territory. In contrast, three viruses (INSV, IYSV and PolRSV) already present in the risk assessment area were not considered by the Panel to pose a risk justifying the development of full risk assessments.

Following a request from the EU Commission, the EFSA PLH Panel conducted a scientific opinion on risk analysis and supporting documents provided by APHIS/USDA in support of the request to remove the Union's plant health import requirement that citrus fruit imported into the EU be sourced from groves where, since the beginning of the last cycle of vegetation no symptoms of citrus canker were observed, neither in their vicinities. The PHL Panel concluded that the transmission of Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xcc) on asymptomatic citrus fruit was more likely when the fruit were collected from infested than from non-infested areas and groves. Symptomatic fruit carries more Xcc cells than asymptomatic fruit and the packinghouse disinfectant treatments do not achieve the eradication of Xcc. The application of management option 2 (i.e. ‘allow distribution of all types and varieties of commercially packed citrus fruit to all US States, subject to packinghouse treatment with APHIS-approved disinfectant. No packinghouse phytosanitary inspection is required’) selected by USDA will result in an increase in the Xcc load of citrus fruit consignments and in a subsequent increase in the probability of spread of citrus canker through the fruit pathway. Some data provided in the APHIS-USDA documents support that citrus fruit remain a conceptually possible pathway for transmitting and establishing citrus canker disease. The PLH Panel agrees that transmission of Xcc from infected fruit to a susceptible host is rare. But the withdrawal of the current EU requirement that citrus fruit imported into the EU be sourced from groves where no symptoms of citrus canker have been observed in the field of production and in its immediate vicinity since the beginning of the last cycle of vegetation, will increase the probability of introduction of Xcc into new areas.

The EFSA Panel on Plant Health has delivered a pest risk assessment on the risk posed by Monilinia fructicola to the EU territory and has identified risk management options and evaluated their effectiveness in reducing the risk to plant health posed by this organism. The Panel has also analysed the effectiveness of the special requirements presently listed in Annex IV, Part A, Section I of Council Directive 2000/29/EC, in reducing the risk of introduction of this pest into the EU territory. The Panel concluded that the main pathways for entry into the EU territory are plant material for propagation purposes and fruit of host genera and that, with the exception of dried fruit, the probability of entry is very likely. The probability of establishment is also very likely due to the suitable environmental conditions and to the widespread presence of host species, susceptible for most of the year, on most of the risk assessment area. Cultural practices and control measures currently applied and competition with other Monilinia species cannot prevent the establishment of M. fructicola. The probability of spread is very likely because of the multiple ways of dispersal of the pest. The overall impact in the endangered area is estimated to be moderate. Neither additional cultural measures nor increased fungicide treatments would be needed to control of brown rot in the orchard after the introduction of M. fructicola. The EFSA Panel on Plant Health has delivered a pest risk assessment on the risk posed by Monilinia fructicola to the EU territory and has identified risk management options and evaluated their effectiveness in reducing the risk to plant health posed by this organism. The Panel has also analysed the effectiveness of the special requirements presently listed in Annex IV, Part A, Section I of Council Directive 2000/29/EC, in reducing the risk of introduction of this pest into the EU territory. The Panel concluded that the main pathways for entry into the EU territory are plant material for propagation purposes and fruit of host genera and that, with the exception of dried fruit, the probability of entry is very likely. The probability of establishment is also very likely due to the suitable environmental conditions and to the widespread presence of host species, susceptible for most of the year, on most of the risk assessment area. Cultural practices and control measures currently applied and competition with other Monilinia species cannot prevent the establishment of M. fructicola. The probability of spread is very likely because of the multiple ways of dispersal of the pest. The overall impact in the endangered area is estimated to be moderate. Neither additional cultural measures nor increased fungicide treatments would be needed to control of brown rot in the orchard after the introduction of M. fructicola.

Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Plant Health was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on a technical file submitted by the Japanese Authorities to support a derogation request from the EU import requirements for bonsai and topiary trees that are host plants of Anoplophora chinensis (Forster) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Three options were proposed as alternatives to the existing requirements of the European Union: a) to reduce the required period to grow plants in field cages from two years to one season prior to export (from April to October); b) to allow grafting of scions with no risk of infestation by A. chinensis during the two years of field-cage cultivation and c) to remove the net from the field cage during the winter period (from November to March) when adult A. chinensis do not visit the area or lay eggs. The Panel evaluated the technical file and concluded that as the life cycle duration of the pest can be more than one season and larvae cannot be reliably detected within the plant, a reduction of the required growing period under complete physical protection increases the risk of entry into the EU compared with the current EU requirements. The Panel considered scions collected from a branch of a stock tree 50 cm or higher above the ground, with a diameter not exceeding 5 mm and a length of 5 cm, are unlikely to increase the risk of entry. The Panel also considered that, due to uncertainty on the occurrence of beetle flight and potential for oviposition between November and March, opening cages during this period may lead to an increased risk of entry into the EU compared to current measures. Following a request from the EU Commission, the EFSA PLH Panel conducted a scientific opinion on risk analysis and supporting documents provided by APHIS/USDA in support of the request to remove the Union's plant health import requirement that citrus fruit imported into the EU be sourced from groves where, since the beginning of the last cycle of vegetation no symptoms of citrus canker were observed, neither in their vicinities. The PHL Panel concluded that the transmission of Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xcc) on asymptomatic citrus fruit was more likely when the fruit were collected from infested than from non-infested areas and groves. Symptomatic fruit carries more Xcc cells than asymptomatic fruit and the packinghouse disinfectant treatments do not achieve the eradication of Xcc. The application of management option 2 (i.e. ‘allow distribution of all types and varieties of commercially packed citrus fruit to all US States, subject to packinghouse treatment with APHIS-approved disinfectant. No packinghouse phytosanitary inspection is required’) selected by USDA will result in an increase in the Xcc load of citrus fruit consignments and in a subsequent increase in the probability of spread of citrus canker through the fruit pathway. Some data provided in the APHIS-USDA documents support that citrus fruit remain a conceptually possible pathway for transmitting and establishing citrus canker disease. The PLH Panel agrees that transmission of Xcc from infected fruit to a susceptible host is rare. But the withdrawal of the current EU requirement that citrus fruit imported into the EU be sourced from groves where no symptoms of citrus canker have been observed in the field of production and in its immediate vicinity since the beginning of the last cycle of vegetation, will increase the probability of introduction of Xcc into new areas.

The Panel on Plant Health was requested by the European Commission to deliver a scientific opinion on the risk posed by the oriental chestnut gall wasp, Dryocosmus kuriphilus to the EU territory and to identify and evaluate risk management options. Additional analyses were conducted by the Panel to a) determine the distribution of the endangered area within the EU territory; b) investigate the pattern and rate of pest diffusion and c) consider the environmental risk of introduction of the biological control agent Torymus sinensis identified as a potential management option. The Panel concluded in its assessment that a) Castanea plants for intended planting represent the main pathway for entry of D. kuriphilus to the EU; b) D. kuriphilus has a very high potential for establishment in the EU and the climate is suitable wherever Castanea sativa is grown in southern, central and western Europe; c) the average rate of spread of D. kuriphilus is estimated as 8 km/yr; d) spread within the EU is likely, due to adult dispersal by flight and the movement of plants containing eggs and larvae which remain undetected within dormant buds; e) the potential effects on fruit yield reduction are considered moderate and the environmental impact in Castanea woodland is considered as low; f) all EU chestnut production is endangered but the areas of fruit production with the highest degree day accumulations where D. kuriphilus is absent, e.g. in northern Portugal, northern Spain and south-west France, are identified as particularly at risk; g) management options to reduce likelihood of introduction and spread consist of certifying Castanea planting material from pest free areas/places of production; h) classical biological control and plant varietal resistance are identified as management options to reduce the magnitude of impact. The Panel on Plant Health was requested by the European Commission to deliver a scientific opinion on the risk posed by the oriental chestnut gall wasp, Dryocosmus kuriphilus to the EU territory and to identify and evaluate risk management options. Additional analyses were conducted by the Panel to a) determine the distribution of the endangered area within the EU territory; b) investigate the pattern and rate of pest diffusion and c) consider the environmental risk of introduction of the biological control agent Torymus sinensis identified as a potential management option. The Panel concluded in its assessment that a) Castanea plants for intended planting represent the main pathway for entry of D. kuriphilus to the EU; b) D. kuriphilus has a very high potential for establishment in the EU and the climate is suitable wherever Castanea sativa is grown in southern, central and western Europe; c) the average rate of spread of D. kuriphilus is estimated as 8 km/yr; d) spread within the EU is likely, due to adult dispersal by flight and the movement of plants containing eggs and larvae which remain undetected within dormant buds; e) the potential effects on fruit yield reduction are considered moderate and the environmental impact in Castanea woodland is considered as low; f) all EU chestnut production is endangered but the areas of fruit production with the highest degree day accumulations where D. kuriphilus is absent, e.g. in northern Portugal, northern Spain and south-west France, are identified as particularly at risk; g) management options to reduce likelihood of introduction and spread consist of certifying Castanea planting material from pest free areas/places of production; h) classical biological control and plant varietal resistance are identified as management options to reduce the magnitude of impact.