Abstract The European Commission requested the EFSA Panel on Plant Health to prepare and deliver risk assessments for commodities listed in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 as ‘High risk plants, plant products and other objects’. This Scientific Opinion covers plant health risks posed by plants of Taxus baccata imported from the United Kingdom (UK) as: (a) bundles of 2‐year‐old bare root plants (whips), (b) 2‐ to 7‐year‐old bare root plants, either exported as single plants or in bundles, (c) 2‐year‐old cell grown plants exported in bundles, and (d) 3‐ to 15‐year‐old plants in pots. The assessment was performed considering the available scientific information, including the technical information provided by the UK. All pests associated with the commodity were evaluated against specific criteria for their relevance for this opinion. One EU quarantine pest, Phytophthora ramorum (non‐EU isolates) fulfilled all relevant criteria and was selected for further evaluation. For the selected pest, the risk mitigation measures implemented in the technical dossier from the UK were evaluated taking into account the possible limiting factors. An expert judgement was given on the likelihood of pest freedom taking into consideration the risk mitigation measures acting on the pest, including uncertainties associated with the assessment. The fact that T. baccata is an evergreen plant on which P. ramorum can cause foliar infection was considered a critical element in the risk assessment. In addition, the age of the plants was considered, reasoning that older trees are more likely to be infected mainly due to longer exposure time and larger size. The degree of pest freedom slightly differs between bare root plants (including whips) and plants in pots (including cell grown plants), with plants in pots being less likely pest free. The Expert Knowledge Elicitation (EKE) indicated with 95% certainty that between 9699 and 10,000 3‐ to 15‐year‐old plants in pots and bundles of 2‐year‐old cell grown plants per 10,000 will be free from P. ramorum (non‐EU isolates).

Abstract The European Commission requested the EFSA Panel on Plant Health to prepare and deliver risk assessments for commodities listed in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 as ‘High risk plants, plant products and other objects’. This Scientific Opinion covers plant health risks posed by plants of Populus alba, Populus nigra and Populus tremula imported from the United Kingdom (UK) as: (a) 1‐ to 7‐year‐old bare root plants, (b) 3‐ to 15‐year‐old plants in pots, (c) 1‐ to 2‐year‐old cell grown plants and (d) bundles of 1‐ to 2‐year‐old cuttings/graftwood (only for P. nigra and P. tremula), taking into account the available scientific information, including the technical information provided by the UK. All pests associated with the commodity were evaluated against specific criteria for their relevance for this Opinion. Two EU protected zone quarantine pests, i.e. Bemisia tabaci (European populations) and Entoleuca mammata, fulfilled all relevant criteria and were selected for further evaluation. For the selected pests, the risk mitigation measures implemented in the technical dossier from the UK were evaluated taking into account the possible limiting factors. Expert judgements were given on the likelihood of pest freedom taking into consideration the risk mitigation measures acting on the pest, including uncertainties associated with the assessment. The age of the plants was considered, reasoning that older trees are more likely to be infested mainly due to longer exposure time and larger size. The degree of pest freedom varies between the pests evaluated, with E. mammata being the pest most frequently expected on the imported plants. The Expert Knowledge Elicitation (EKE) indicated with 95% certainty that between 9730 and 10,000 per 10,000 P. tremula rooted plants in pots (3 to 15 year old) will be free from E. mammata.

The European Commission requested the EFSA Panel on Plant Health to prepare and deliver risk assessments for commodities listed in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 as 'high-risk plants, plant products and other objects'. Taking into account the available scientific information, including the technical information provided by the applicant country, this Scientific Opinion covers the plant health risks posed by the following commodities: Alnus cordata, A. glutinosa and A. incana graftwood, bare-root plants and rooted plants in pots up to 7 years old imported into the EU from the UK. A list of pests potentially associated with the commodities was compiled. The relevance of each pest was assessed based on evidence following defined criteria. Two EU-quarantine pests (Entoleuca mammata, Phytophthora ramorum (non-EU isolates)) and one non-quarantine pest (Phytophthora siskiyouensis) were selected for further evaluation. For the selected pests, the risk mitigation measures implemented in the UK and specified in the technical dossier were evaluated taking into account the factors reducing their efficacy. For these pests, an expert judgement is given on the likelihood of pest freedom taking into consideration the risk mitigation measures acting on the pest, including uncertainties associated with the assessment. The degree of pest freedom varies between the pests evaluated, with E. mammata being the pest most frequently expected on imported Alnus spp. small trees. Expert knowledge elicitation indicated, with 95% certainty, that between 9927 and 10,000 per 10,000 Alnus spp. small trees (bare-root plants or rooted plants in pots up to 7 years old) would be free from E. mammata.

Abstract The European Commission requested the EFSA Panel on Plant Health to prepare and deliver risk assessments for commodities listed in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 as ‘high‐risk plants, plant products and other objects’. Taking into account the available scientific information, including the technical information provided by the applicant country, this Scientific Opinion covers the plant health risks posed by the following commodities: Alnus cordata, A. glutinosa and A. incana graftwood, bare‐root plants and rooted plants in pots up to 7 years old imported into the EU from the UK. A list of pests potentially associated with the commodities was compiled. The relevance of each pest was assessed based on evidence following defined criteria. Two EU‐quarantine pests (Entoleuca mammata, Phytophthora ramorum (non‐EU isolates)) and one non‐quarantine pest (Phytophthora siskiyouensis) were selected for further evaluation. For the selected pests, the risk mitigation measures implemented in the UK and specified in the technical dossier were evaluated taking into account the factors reducing their efficacy. For these pests, an expert judgement is given on the likelihood of pest freedom taking into consideration the risk mitigation measures acting on the pest, including uncertainties associated with the assessment. The degree of pest freedom varies between the pests evaluated, with E. mammata being the pest most frequently expected on imported Alnus spp. small trees. Expert knowledge elicitation indicated, with 95% certainty, that between 9927 and 10,000 per 10,000 Alnus spp. small trees (bare‐root plants or rooted plants in pots up to 7 years old) would be free from E. mammata.

Abstract The European Commission requested the EFSA Panel on Plant Health to deliver a risk assessment on the likelihood of pest freedom from regulated EU quarantine pests, with emphasis on Bursaphelenchus xylophilus and its vectors Monochamus spp. of debarked conifer wood chips fumigated with sulfuryl fluoride as proposed by the United States (US) and as outlined in ISPM 28 ‐ PT23 of sulfuryl fluoride (SF) fumigation treatment for nematodes and insects in debarked wood. The assessment considered the different phases in the wood chips' production, with special emphasis on the SF treatment. In addition to B. xylophilus and its vectors Monochamus spp., 22 EU quarantine pests and protected zone quarantine pests, some of which are regulated as groups of pests by the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072, are present in the US and are potentially associated with the commodity. For these pests an expert judgement is given on the likelihood of pest freedom taking into consideration the available scientific information and technical information provided by the US, including uncertainties associated with the assessment. The likelihood of pest freedom varies among the pests evaluated, with B. xylophilus being the pest most frequently expected on the commodity. The Expert Knowledge Elicitation (EKE) indicated with 95% certainty that between 9491 and 10,000 m3 of debarked conifer wood chips treated with SF per 10,000 m3 will be free from B. xylophilus, and that between 9987 and 10,000 m3 of wood chips per 10,000 m3 will be free from Monochamus spp. Technical elements which are critical for a successful treatment and for minimising the presence of Union quarantine pests on the commodity are identified and described in the opinion. In particular, it is important to note that SF treatments are generally less effective in eliminating fungi than insects, the required parameters of the fumigation should be met at all points of the pile of wood chips and the time of storage of wood chips before treatment should be kept as short as possible because B. xylophilus can easily reproduce and spread throughout the pile under conducive conditions.

Understanding the response of forest pests to climate change is essential to assess the future resilience of forest ecosystems. By considering nearly 200 individual research studies, we reviewed the effects of increased temperature and drought on insects and pathogens in six important host tree genera in Europe. Pest performance measures reported in the studies were aggregated at the species level and combined with an assessment of its damage potential to calculate a biotic risk index for the affected tree genera. While warmer temperatures and lower water availability led to an overall increase in biotic risk, we observed a clear ranking among hosts, with Picea and Abies being the most affected, followed by Quercus, Pinus, Pseudotsuga and Fagus. Functional groups of pests contributed differently to the genus-specific biotic risk. Our findings will help to improve estimates of tree mortality under climate change and facilitate decision-making in forest management.

Crop protection in general and apple crop protection in particular often rely on pesticides, although several alternative pest management measures are available. In this context European agricultural policy requires the implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) by 2014. Within IPM, more than one strategy can be practiced but selecting the most sustainable strategy is difficult because it requires simultaneous assessment of multiple environmental and economic aspects or attributes. Here, we introduce the SustainOS methodology for sustainability assessment of orchard systems, and we evaluate its usefulness in a case study involving four crop protection strategies in apple orchards of five European regions. SustainOS is an iterative, multi-attribute approach for defining and rating the sustainability of crop protection strategies in comparative studies. It consists of a transparent system-description tool including context, target, and crop protection parameters. The parameters are used as input data for life cycle assessment, environmental risk assessment, and full-cost calculations. The various results from these quantitative assessments are used to generate a multi-attribute rating with respect to ecological and economic sustainability. We demonstrate how the quantitative results can be translated into rating classes. By applying the SustainOS methodology, we show that the ecological sustainability for all five regions can potentially be improved by implementing alternative crop protection measures currently available. We also report that, by increasing yield, yield stability, and fruit quality, implementation of IPM can improve the economic situation of apple growers. Because of its transparency, SustainOS facilitated the collaborative development and comparison of crop protection strategies for sustainable orchard systems by an international network of agronomists, economists, and environmental scientists.

Abstract Following the commodity risk assessment of Acer palmatum plants grafted on Acer davidii from China, in which Morganella longispina (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) was identified as a pest of possible concern, the European Commission requested the EFSA Panel on Plant Health to conduct a pest categorisation of M. longispina for the territory of the European Union (EU). The origin of the scale insect M. longispina is uncertain, with either South America or eastern Asia suggested as the native range. The geographic distribution of the species includes many countries of the continents of Africa, North and South America, Asia and Oceania. M. longispina is polyphagous, feeding on plants assigned to 86 genera in 42 families. Important crops of the EU that may be affected by this insect are avocado, citrus, fig, peach, plum, olive and walnut. It is a viviparous insect with several generations per year in Algeria. Host availability and climate suitability indicate that the southern EU countries would support the establishment of M. longispina. The introduction of this pest would likely have an economic impact on several crops in the EU as it can cause significant damage to host plants. Uncertainty exists, however, about the magnitude of yield and quality losses due to the insect, and this is a key uncertainty. M. longispina is not listed in Annex II of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072. Phytosanitary measures are available to reduce the likelihood of entry, establishment and spread of the pest into the EU. All criteria assessed by EFSA for consideration as a potential quarantine pest are met.

Following the commodity risk assessment of Acer palmatum plants grafted on Acer davidii from China, in which Morganella longispina (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) was identified as a pest of possible concern, the European Commission requested the EFSA Panel on Plant Health to conduct a pest categorisation of M. longispina for the territory of the European Union (EU). The origin of the scale insect M. longispina is uncertain, with either South America or eastern Asia suggested as the native range. The geographic distribution of the species includes many countries of the continents of Africa, North and South America, Asia and Oceania. M. longispina is polyphagous, feeding on plants assigned to 86 genera in 42 families. Important crops of the EU that may be affected by this insect are avocado, citrus, fig, peach, plum, olive and walnut. It is a viviparous insect with several generations per year in Algeria. Host availability and climate suitability indicate that the southern EU countries would support the establishment of M. longispina. The introduction of this pest would likely have an economic impact on several crops in the EU as it can cause significant damage to host plants. Uncertainty exists, however, about the magnitude of yield and quality losses due to the insect, and this is a key uncertainty. M. longispina is not listed in Annex II of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072. Phytosanitary measures are available to reduce the likelihood of entry, establishment and spread of the pest into the EU. All criteria assessed by EFSA for consideration as a potential quarantine pest are met.

Following the commodity risk assessment of Prunus persica and P. dulcis plants for planting from T & uuml;rkiye, in which Lepidosaphes pistaciae (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), the pistachio oyster scale or yellow pistachio scale, was identified as a pest of possible concern, the EFSA Panel on Plant Health performed a pest categorisation for the territory of the European Union (EU). L. pistaciae is reported as a polyphagous pest which, however, mainly affects plants of the genus Pistacia. Originating from Asia, it is widely distributed in pistachio producing countries of Central, South and West Asia. Within the EU, the pest has been reported from Cyprus and Greece. However, its precise distribution within Cyprus and Greece is unknown. It completes two generations per year and overwinters as a fully developed adult female. The eggs are hidden under the female's body and hatch around April. First-instar nymphs, crawlers, move on host plants for a short period of time before becoming permanently settled and initiating feeding, mainly on leaves but also on branches and fruits. Young females appear in early June and mature ones in late June. Plants for planting and fruits provide potential pathways for entry into the EU. Climate suitability suggests that it could further establish in large parts of the EU. In Iran, L. pistaciae is considered a devastating pest for cultivated pistachio. L. pistaciae was detected in Greece over 30 years ago with small population densities and without any records of damage. It was also found in Cyprus in 1967 and nowadays is not considered a major pest. Its ability to cause an impact in the EU is uncertain considering the lack of evidence on impact in Cyprus and Greece. Phytosanitary measures are available to reduce the likelihood of entry. While the fulfilment of the criterion on having an economic or environmental impact in the EU is associated with a key uncertainty, all the other criteria assessed by EFSA for consideration as a potential quarantine pest are met.