Pest risk assessment made by France on Hop stunt viroid (HSVd) considered by France as harmful in the French overseas department of Réunion - Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Plant Health

Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Plant Health was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on 30 pest risk assessments made by France on organisms, which are considered by France as harmful in four French overseas departments, i.e. French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion. In particular, the Panel was asked whether these organisms can be considered as harmful organisms for the endangered area of the above departments, in the meaning of the definition mentioned in Article 2.1.(e) of Directive 2000/29/EC and thus potentially eligible for addition to the list of harmful organisms in Directive 2000/29/EC.This document presents the opinion of the Panel on Plant Health on the full[1] pest risk assessment conducted by France on Hop stunt viroid (HSVd) with Réunion considered as endangered area.HSVd isa well-characterised viroid of the family Pospiviroidae, which infects citrus, grapevine, apricot, almond, plum, peach and several other species of economic importance belonging to different families. HSVd is considered as widespread in all citrus-growing areas of the world.The Panel examined in detail the risk assessment provided, and considered the accuracy and quality of the information provided and methods applied for pest risk assessment purposes. The review was based on the principles and terminology of the International Standard on Phytosanitary Measures ISPM No. 11[2] [Pest risk analysis for quarantine pests including analysis of environmental risks and living modified organisms (2004)] and the terminology of ISPM No. 5 [Glossary of Phytosanitary Terms (2007)] by the International Plant Protection Convention (FAO, 2007).The French document concludes that HSVd could feature as a pest in Réunion and notes the possibility that it may already be present in the PRA area[3] in a latent state.The Panel found that statements in the French document and ratings given in the risk assessment are neither substantiated by references nor supported by verifiable data. HSVd is present in citrus producing countries worldwide, and it can be spread by graft-propagation of infected planting material (budwood). Therefore, the Panel agrees that the introduction of infected propagation material is the most important entry pathway. The volume of imported material into Réunion, however, is acknowledged in the French assessment to be low, due to the small area of citrus under production.HSVd is a well-characterised viroid in terms of its molecular and biological properties and suitable methods are available to identify and detect it in plant material. As a result the Panel considers that viroid-indexing can reduce the probability of entry via propagation material to a negligible level. However, in the absence of viroid-indexing, the probability of entry would be moderate to high.The Panel considers the probability of entry to be low in the presence of the existing management measures. However, should these measures be lifted, in the absence of pathogen-testing the probability of entry would be moderate to high.The Panel concludes that the probability of establishment following the entry of the viroid is high. The probability of spread is, however, considered low, as HSVd is not seed transmitted and has no natural vectors.The French assessment concludes that the potential for economic impact can be fairly severe but the additional comments do not substantiate this conclusion. The Panel concludes that even though HSVd is a pathogenic agent for certain sensitive citrus cultivars/species grown in Réunion, the information provided is insufficient to suggest that economic consequences would be severe.Existing risk management measures prevent the importation of citrus planting material from third (non-EU) countries (Annex III A of Directive 2000/29/EC). Virus indexing procedures can be applied as part of existing certification schemes for citrus propagation material in the EU. Furthermore, in the absence of virus indexing, the Panel considers the impact of HSVd to be limited, due to the absence of a natural vector, which limits the potential for further dissemination of the viroid.Therefore, the Panel concludes that HSVd is not appropriate for evaluation of further risk management measures and thus is not considered by the Panel to be eligible for addition to the list of harmful organisms in Directive 2000/29/EC