EPPO Pest Risk Analysis training for beginners

Paris, EPPO Headquarters, 2012-09-03/07

In recent years, the EPPO Secretariat has organized several Workshops on Pest Risk Analysis including training activities. In June 2011, the Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations agreed that a new form of PRA practical training should be offered to experts.

In 2012, EPPO organized a practical training course on Pest Risk Analysis attended by 9 participants from 8 countries and EFSA. The training course was opened to beginners only. It consisted of presentations on the EPPO Decision-Support Scheme on PRA (PM 5/3) and the associated computer programme CAPRA. After the presentation of each section of the scheme, participants ran the PRA process on a pest of concern for their country that they had selected and collected information on prior to the meeting. Remarks and guidance were provided to each participant on their individual assessments for these species by the Secretariat.

Participants had the opportunity to present the outcomes of their assessments to the other participants and to provide feedback on the EPPO PRA scheme and its computer version. These remarks will be taken into account when revising the scheme.

Although this training was quite demanding for the Secretariat (4 persons involved for 4 days), it was found useful both by the participants and the Secretariat.