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)
involvement is on-going. The system 107 was based on the outcome of a large consultation and
has – among others - the aim of reducing the use of Plant Protection Products (PPPs) by half in
the next 15 years. To meet this objective, amongst other measures, the establishment of a more
robust general surveillance system is foreseen, in order to reduce the pressure of pests on
agricultural and non-agricultural areas, and therefore the amount of PPPs likely to be required to
protect these areas. The main objectives of the surveillance programme are: the early detection of
regulated HOs that are not yet present in the territory; the close monitoring and control of already
present regulated HOs in parts of the territory; and monitoring of key non regulated pests and
diseases that may have important economic impacts in the territory. Private operators are
involved in a type of cost-responsibility sharing scheme. The financing of this surveillance
scheme has not yet been fully developed, but it appears to fit in the orientation of the new law on
modernization of agriculture, to enter into force in 2010, which obliges private operators and
farmers to report any plant health problems and HO findings.
Involvement of stakeholders and, more broadly, of the general public is also promoted in other
MS (e.g. in the UK last month press reports indicated a whole range of IAS that should be
reported by the general public to the competent authorities).
3.3.3 Reporting and notification of findings
According to Art. 16 of Directive 2000/29/EC, each MS has to immediately notify the
Commission and the other MS:
- Of the presence on its territory of any listed HOs (or of the appearance in part of its
territory in which their presence was previously unknown of any of the HOs listed in
Annex I, Part A, Section II or in Part B or in Annex II, Part A, Section II or in Part B);
- Of the actual or suspected appearance of any not listed HOs.
The Directive also states that the MS shall take all necessary measures to eradicate, or if that is
impossible, inhibit the spread of the HOs concerned and inform the Commission and the other
MS of the measures taken.
General survey results
Q2.6. b. Within what timeframe does the plant protection organisation in your country usually notify
outbreaks and findings of new organisms resulting from surveillance/monitoring to the Commission
and the Member States?
The majority of MS CAs (17 out of 25) report findings >1 week, 8 MS report within 2 days – 1 week
Reporting of notifications of outbreaks and findings to the Commission is done by mail, fax or e-
mail to DG SANCO and is posted on CIRCA for information to the other MS. EUROPHYT is
not used and is not designed to be used for outbreak notifications under Article 16(1) and (2) 108 .
It is rather difficult, therefore, to collect evidence of the timing of notification from MS to the
Commission in cases of outbreaks or new findings. As the general survey results show, the
107 ―Surveillance biologique du territoire‖
108 The details required and system of internal interception notifications and outbreak notifications were never given
the legal basis foreseen under Articles 12(4), second subparagraph and 21(6) and (7) respectively.
Food Chain Evaluation Consortium 82