A new Commission report (based on the analysis of these notifications by the Member States) finds that there has been an increase in the number of plant pest outbreaks since 2019. The main reason behind this increase is the introduction of new legal requirements for the official control of new pests such as Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV), which was the most notified pest in 2021. This virus severely reduces the yield and deteriorates the quality of tomato and pepper fruits. Legislation on this pest was adopted in EU at the end of 2019.

Without outbreaks of ToBRFV there would still have been some but not a very significant increase in number of new outbreaks notified compared to previous year.

Organisms harmful to plants like certain insects, mites, bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites can cause serious phytosanitary risks. Early and comprehensive notifications of outbreaks support timely decision making at EU level and increase the level of protection against phytosanitary risks for the EU territory. The Commission uses the notification data to consider if any specific actions need to be taken at EU level and/or to carry out audits to MS, assessing if control systems are effective in eradicating or preventing the spread of the harmful organisms.

To read the report on plant pest notifications please click here