EPPO Panel on Diagnostics in Entomology

 

Composition (last updated May 2026)

ABASOVA Nazakat (Ms) Azerbaijan Food Safety İnstitute, Baku (AZ)

ALAWAMLEH Amani (Ms)

Ministry of Agriculture, Amman (JO)

ALTUNDISLI Ferhunde Ozlem (Ms)

Bornova Plant Protection Research Institute, İzmir (TR)

BECKER Matthias (Mr)

Julius Kühn-Institut, Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for National and International Plant Health, Braunschweig (DE)

BONTE Jochem (Mr)

ILVO-Flanders research institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Merelbeke (BE)

DE GROOT Maarten (Mr)

Slovenian Forestry Institute, Ljubljana (SI)

GARGANI Elisabetta (Ms)

CREA DC, Florence (IT)

GLUHOVS Arturs (Mr)

State Plant Protection Service of Latvia, Riga (LV)

JAKUTIENE Virginija (Ms)

The State Plant Service under the Ministry of Agriculture, Vilnius (LT)
KIRK Shane (Mr) Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine, Celbridge (IE)

KONEFAL Tomasz (Mr)

Main Inspectorate of Plant Health and Seed Inspection, Central Laboratory, Torun (PL)

LETHMAYER Christa (Ms)

Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), Wien (AT)

LOVTSOVA Iulia (Ms)

All-Russian Plant Quarantine Center (FGBU “VNIIKR”), Bykovo (RU)

MALUMPHY Chris (Mr)

FERA Science Ltd, National Agri-Food Innovation Campus, York (GB)

MANDRUP RØNN Regin (Mr)

Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, Unit for Plant Health and Feed Composition, Ringsted (DK)

MERTENS Jan (Mr)

Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, Wageningen (NL)

MUNAUT Françoise (Ms)

European Commission, Brussels (EU)

OROSZ Szilvia (Ms)

Plant Health and Molecular Biology National Reference Laboratory, Directorate of Plant protection Soil Conservation and Agri-environment, National Food Chain Safety Office, Budapest (HU)

OUVRARD David (Mr)

ANSES - Laboratoire de la santé des végétaux, Station de Montpellier, CBGP, Montferrier-sur-Lez Cedex (FR)

PINTAR Maja (Ms)

CCAFRA - Institute for Plant Protection, Zagreb (HR)

RECHT Eitan (Ms)

Plant Protection and Inspection Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Bet Dagan (IL)

TADDEI Andrea (Mr)

EURL Arthropods, Montferrier-sur-Lez (FR)

TÓTH Pavel (Mr)

Central Institute for Supervising and Testing in Agriculture, Dept of Diagnostics, Olomouc (CZ)

 

 

Terms of Reference (as agreed by the Executive Committee in May 2026)

Introduction

A Panel on Diagnostics in Entomology was established in 2010 as more expertise in entomology was needed to develop the protocols in this area. The Panel meets in principle every 18 months. Terms of reference were approved in 2010. They have been revised in 2017 and in 2026.

 

Scope

The Panel on Diagnostics in Entomology is established to specifically develop and review pest specific diagnostic Standards on insects and mites.

 

Tasks

The Panel on Entomology is responsible for the following activities:

 

Core-activities of the Panel are linked to entomology Diagnostic Protocols and include:

  • Reviewing the technical content of Diagnostic Standards prepared by individual experts/drafting teams for insects and mites.

  • Exchanging information on validation of tests.

  • Proposing topics for new diagnostic Standards for insects and mites.

  • Establishing priorities for revision of approved diagnostic Standards for insects and mites.

  • Reviewing the work programme for preparing diagnostic Standards for insects and mites.

  • Making suggestions to update/improve horizontal Standards and the instructions to authors of diagnostic protocols, for consideration by the Panel on Diagnostics and Quality Assurance.

 

Where appropriate the following Diagnostics Activities may also be conducted:

 

  • Upon request of the EPPO Secretariat reviewing possible comments made at the regional level on IPPC Diagnostic Protocols for insects and mites to advise the Panel of Global Affairs on a regional position on these protocols.
  • Comparing the content of adopted IPPC diagnostic protocols for insects and mites with the content of the EPPO Diagnostic Standard for the same pest and advising the Panel on Diagnostics and Quality Assurance whether to maintain the EPPO Standard as it is or, revise it or withdraw it.
  • Consider calls for IPPC diagnostic protocols/nominations.
  • Identifying outcomes of research projects (e.g. Euphresco) that could have an impact on the diagnostic Standards
  • Ensuring through the EPPO Secretariat appropriate links with other bodies with activities in the area of diagnostics in entomology for example the EURL, EFSA and other relevant bodies.
  • Exchanging information on national initiatives in the field of diagnostics in entomology, on ongoing research and risk assessment conducted.
  • Suggesting improvements that could be made to the EPPO Databases on diagnostic expertise and EPPO-Q-bank database and encouraging contributions from members.
  • Give feedback from conferences where Panel members participated and raise awareness on future conferences.
  • Recommending further work that could be undertaken by EPPO to improve diagnostic activities in the EPPO region, e.g. organization of workshops, conferences or webinars, new databases, general articles on diagnostics.

 

Additional activities

  • Identifying research needs to be communicated to the persons in charge of relevant regional initiatives in this area (e.g. Euphresco).

  • Identifying information on emerging pests (i.e. insects, mites or pathogens vectored by insects or mites) and related diagnostic challenges notifying the EPPO Secretariat of any new insect or mite pest that should be considered for the Alert List.

  • Carrying out specific additional tasks requested by the Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations or the EPPO Secretariat.

  • Reporting to the Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations on its activities.

 

Way of Working

  • Experts for the Panel are nominated by member countries (or other approved bodies) and appointed by the Executive Committee.
  • Panel members are selected on the basis of their expertise and serve in an individual capacity.
  • The Panel normally meets about every 18 months. In between these regular meetings it may meet by teleconference, and may hold e-mail consultations to facilitate rapid decision making.
  • Reports of meetings are ideally circulated within four weeks as a draft and participants are given two weeks in which to comment. After that the report is finalized.
  • Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations will be informed of the plans for, progress on, and approval of Standards. The Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations may decide that some Standards should not be approved via the fast-track procedure. In that case, the Panel submits the draft Standards to the Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations. The Panel may submit advice and recommendations to the Panel on Diagnostics and Quality Assurance or directly to the Working Party, as appropriate.
  • The EPPO Secretariat provides the Chair, the support of a Scientific Officer, a report writer and Administrative support for meetings.