27th Meeting of the Panel on Phytosanitary Measures for Potato

Teleconference, 2021-02-16/18

 

The 27th meeting of the Panel on Phytosanitary Measures for Potato was held by videoconference on 2021-02-16/18. The Panel discussed Standards under revision or development.

 

 

 

Standard under revision

  • The Standard PM 3/68 Testing of potato varieties to assess resistance to Globodera rostochiensis and Globodera pallida was revised based on the outcome of the PalAdapt Project , a 3-year Project (2018-2020) funded by EFSA. The Panel agreed that the revised Standard could be sent for country consultation.
  • The Panel considered that a reference to PM 3/88 Testing of potato varieties to assess resistance to Synchytrium endobioticum should be added to PM 3/59 Synchytrium endobioticum: descheduling of previously infested plots.

 

Standard under development

  • The draft Standard PM 3/NEW Management of phytosanitary risks for potato crops from movement of soil associated with root crops and potatoes was revised in 2020 and further discussions took place by email in early 2021 and continued during the Panel meeting. This resulted in more focus on the role of the NPPO and separate sections on the role of farmers and industry. The potato Panel agreed that the revised version of the draft could be sent for country consultation.

 

The Panel discussed needs for revision of:

  • the Phytosanitary Procedure Export certification and import compliance checking for potato tubers (PM 3/70), which was added to the draft work programme for 2022,
  • the Certification scheme for seed potatoes (PM 4/28), which was also added to the draft work programme for 2022,
  • the National Regulatory Control System for Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus [renamed Clavibacter sepedonicus] (PM 9/2) and Ralstonia solanacearum (PM 9/3), which were added to the draft work programme 2022 but for which revisions will only begin after the next Panel meeting. This will allow the Panel to first discuss the best way to proceed, based on the outcome of the revision of EU Control Directives,
  • the National Regulatory Control System for PSTVd (PM 9/13) which was considered as a lower priority and was therefore not added to the draft work programme for 2022.

 

The Panel was informed about the investigations performed following recent findings of a new resistant haplotype of Synchytrium endobioticum in the Netherlands, about EFSA pest categorizations on the Andean Potato Weevil complex and on non-EU phytoplasmas of tuber-forming Solanum spp., as well as about the addition of Solanum sisymbriifolium as invasive alien plant to the EPPO Alert List. After a presentation about recent, ongoing and future  Euphresco projects relevant for the potato Panel, a short brainstorming session about research needs was organized.

 

The meeting date for the next Panel and for possible expert working groups will be decided later during the year.