2454 final report.pdf - Agra CEAS Consulting

Evaluation of the Community Plant Health Regime: Final Report
DG SANCO Evaluation Framework Contract Lot 3 (Food Chain)
A number of HOs appear to be of common interest and focus in a number of MS,
suggesting that there are certain HOs for which a common EU approach needs to be
followed to optimise response and cost-effectiveness;
MS efforts are mainly targeted on HO for which Control Directives exist or for which
emergency measures are in place.
If greater prioritisation is needed, then this could be based on criteria to be developed, and the
general survey has already pointed in the direction these could take. The scope for prioritisation
is explored further in relation to options for the future to ensure better prevention and to
maximise the cost-effectiveness of current measures and resources (in particular for import
inspections and for intra-EU surveillance, sections 5.2 and 5.3 respectively).
The process for considering additions to the lists in the Annexes is cumbersome and has created
a backlog, and risk assessment and the risk management phases are considered to be ineffective
in terms of the timeframe required. To overcome these constraints, consideration should be given
to a number of improvements:
‗Fast-track‘ risk assessment while fuller PRAs are under way, with a view to speeding up
the adoption of measures particularly in emergency situations;
A greater degree of central coordination of PRAs conducted at different levels (MS, EFSA,
EPPO, where possible also involving stakeholders); and,
PRAs should be conducted, proactively 90 , i.e. when a HO is considered to represent a
significant risk rather than when outbreaks occur. For this purpose more consideration and
use of the EPPO Alert List is recommended by several MS.
At a more general level, the major limitation of the current approach – as the results of the
survey and the interviews reveal – is considered to be the lack of horizon scanning and the lack
of efficiency in dealing with emerging risks (e.g. for major suspected threats such as Agrilus
planipennis). The mechanisms in place and the speed of the process are considered inadequate in
terms of response to the new threats that are emerging for plant health. These issues are explored
further under the options for the future in sections 5.2 and 5.4 respectively.
90 Proactively produced PRAs could be used to develop EU contingency plans, coming into force automatically
upon outbreaks, as in the Animal Health Regime.
Food Chain Evaluation Consortium 68