EPPO/NEPPO Contingency Exercise Workshop – Xylella fastidiosa

Yasmine Hammamet (Hammamet), Tunisia, 2025-05-26/28

- Pre-registration is now closed -

 

An EPPO/NEPPO Contingency Exercise Workshop for a pest outbreak will be held on 2025-05-26/28 in Hammamet, Tunisia. The Workshop will start on Monday 26th of May at 09:00 and finish on Wednesday 28th at 16:00. This workshop is organised in collaboration with the FAO Sub-Regional Office Tunisia, the FAO Regional Office Cairo, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the BeXyl Beyond Xylella Project.

 

Symptoms on Spartium junceum - Courtesy: Céline Vidal

Infected olive orchard - Courtesy: Camille Picard (EPPO)

Symptoms on Polygala myrtifolia - Courtesy: Céline Vidal

 

Purpose

The purposes of the workshop will be to:

  1. Simulate the experience of a plant health emergency;
  2. Experiment with responses to an emergency;
  3. Test whether relevant contingency plans are available and fit for purpose;
  4. Test availability and relevance of other resources;
  5. Provide experience in communicating key messages during an emergency;
  6. Learn why and how to develop contingency plans;
  7. Learn how to carry out an emergency response exercise.

 

 

Participants

Ideally the workshop will include a mix of participants who are potentially involved in managing outbreaks of quarantine pests in their own countries, with different roles and expertise (scientific, technical, policy and communications). There will be a maximum of 60 places and if necessary, the Secretariat will allocate these to ensure a good mix of expertise and coverage from across the region.

 

 

Format

Participants will be split into groups for the exercise. Each group will act as an ‘Outbreak Management Team’ for a scenario based on a finding of Xylella fastidiosa. During the three days, two days will be dedicated to the outbreak exercise and a one-day technical visit is planned.

 

Within each group, there will be four roles:

  • operations (practical issues and resources)
  • communications (internal and external, written and spoken)
  • scientific and technical (science, mapping, modelling, risk assessment etc.)
  • planning (overall management of the response, including policy aspects)

 

The languages of the workshop will be English and Arabic with different groups working in one or the other language. Translations will be provided.

 

 

Pre-registration (now closed)

Pre-registration is now closed. By 6th December 2024, pre-registered participants will be informed if a place has been allocated to them. Further information will be circulated to registered participants at a later date.