EPPO Panel on Diagnostics and Quality Assurance
Composition (last updated September 2024)
| ALTENBACH Denise (Ms) | Agroscope, Nyon (CH) |
|
ANTHOINE Géraldine (Ms) |
Laboratoire de la santé des végétaux, Angers (FR) |
|
BAGINSKA Hanna (Ms) |
State Plant Health and Seed Inspection Service, Main Inspectorate, Central Laboratory, Torun (PL) |
|
BECHEVA Ani (Ms) |
Central Laboratory for Plant Quarantine, Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, Sofia (BG) |
|
BOKUMA Gunita (Ms) |
State Plant Protection Service, Riga (LV) |
| BONDARENKO Galina (Ms) | All-Russian Plant Quarantine Center (FGBU “VNIIKR”), Ramenskoye, Bykovo (RU) |
|
CIPINYTE Vilma (Ms) |
The State Plant Service under the Ministry of Agriculture, Phytosanitary Research Laboratory (Division), Vilnius (LT) |
| COSTA Joana (Ms) | Centre for Functional Ecology – Science for People & the Planet (CFE) at the University of Coimbra, Coimbra (PT) |
|
DE ANDRADE Eugenia (Ms) |
Instituto Nacional de Investigaçao Agraria e Veterinaria (INIAV), Oeiras (PT) |
| DREO Tanja (Ms) | National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana (SI) |
|
ERMAKOVICH Valentina (Ms) |
Centre of Estonian Rural Research and Knowledge, Saku (EE) |
|
FERRETTI Luca (Mr) |
CREA, Rome (IT) |
| GAMBIN Maria Dolores (Ms) | Plant Protection Directorate, Lija (MT) |
|
GRSIC Kristina (Ms) |
CCAFRA - Institute for Plant Protection, Zagreb (HR) |
|
INGELBRECHT Sven (Mr) |
Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Merelbeke (BE) |
|
KÖNIG Stephan (Mr) |
Julius Kühn-Institut, Institute for National and International Plant Health, Braunschweig (DE) |
|
MUNAUT Françoise (Ms) |
European Commission, Brussels (BE) |
|
OROSZ Szilvia (Ms) |
Plant Health and Molecular Biology National Reference Laboratory, Plant protection Soil Conservation and Agri-environment, National Food Chain Safety Office, Budapest (HU) |
|
OZDEM Ayşe (Ms) |
Plant Health and Quarantine Department, Ankara (TR) |
|
REISENZEIN Helga (Ms) |
AGES, Institute for Sustainable Plant Production, Vienna (AT) |
|
ROSS Susan (Ms) |
Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA, Roddinglaw Road), Edinburgh (GB) |
|
SANTALA Johanna (Ms) |
Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira, Helsinki (FI) |
|
SØGAARD LUND Ole (Mr) |
Laboratory of Danish Food Administration, Ringsted (DK) |
|
TOMANKOVA Katerina (Ms) |
Central Institute for Supervising and Testing in Agriculture, Division of Diagnostics, Olomouc (CZ) |
|
VAN DE VOSSENBERG Bart (Mr) |
Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, National Plant Protection Organization, National Reference Laboratory - Molecular Biology, Wageningen (NL) |
|
WEEKES Rebecca (Ms) |
Food and Environment Research Agency, Sand Hutton, York (GB) |
Terms of Reference (as agreed by the Executive Committee in September 2017)
Introduction
A Panel on Diagnostics was established in 1998 to begin the development of diagnostic protocols. In 2004, an ad hoc Panel on technical requirements for laboratories was established to specifically develop Standards for quality assurance issues. When the Standard PM 7/98 Specific requirements for laboratories preparing accreditation for a plant pest diagnostic activity was adopted in 2009, In 2010, the two Panels were merged in the current Panel on Diagnostics and Quality Assurance. Terms of reference were approved in 2010 and adjusted in 2014. They have been revised in 2017.
Scope
The Panel on Diagnostics and Quality Assurance considers all horizontal aspects of diagnostics and oversees the work of the 5 specialized Panels (Bacteriology, Nematology, Entomology, Virology and Phytoplasmology and Mycology) established to specifically develop and review pest specific diagnostic protocols.
Tasks
The Panel on Diagnostics and Quality Assurance is responsible for the following activities:
Interaction, as required, with the specialized Panels on Diagnostics.
Horizontal Diagnostics Activities
- Ensuring the update of the horizontal Standards
- Reviewing the programme conducted in the IPPC Technical Panel on Diagnostic Protocols to avoid duplication.
- Upon request of the EPPO Secretariat reviewing possible comments made at the regional level on IPPC Diagnostic Protocols to advise the Panel on CPM affairs on a regional position on these protocols. Resolving in consultation with the Panel on CPM affairs opposing views of experts on these protocols.
- Identifying research needs to be communicated to the persons in charge of relevant regional initiatives in this area (e.g. EUPHRESCO).
- Ensuring through the Secretariat appropriate links with other bodies with activities in the area of plant health diagnostics such as EA, ISO, ISTA.
- Reviewing national initiatives in the field of diagnostics.
- Suggesting improvements that could be made to the EPPO Databases on diagnostic expertise or on validation data and encouraging contributions from member countries.
- Recommending further work that could be undertaken by EPPO to improve diagnostic activities in the EPPO region, e.g. organisation of workshops or conferences, new databases, general articles on diagnostics.
- With regards to horizontal issues, comparing the content of adopted IPPC diagnostic protocols with the content of the EPPO Diagnostic protocols for the same pest to possibly revise it.
Activities linked to pest specific Diagnostic Protocols
- Reviewing the activities of specialized diagnostic Panels (Bacteriology, Nematology, Entomology, Virology and Phytoplasmology and Mycology).
- Reviewing on an annual basis the work programme for preparing diagnostic protocols.
- Reviewing priorities for revision of approved diagnostic protocols as established by the Specialized Panels.
- Updating and improving the instructions to authors of diagnostic protocols, taking into account, in particular, the suggestions received from the specialized diagnostic Panels.
- Reviewing at least once during the preparation process draft of pest specific diagnostic protocols prepared by individual experts, in particular to ensure consistency between the different diagnostic protocols proposed for adoption.
Other activities
- 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 annually. In between annual meetings it may meet by teleconference, and may hold e-mail consultations to facilitate rapid decision making.
- Reports of meetings are circulated within four weeks in draft and participants are given two weeks in which to comment. After that the report is finalized.
- The Panel submits its draft Standards, advice and recommendations to the Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations for further consideration, and consults the Working Party in relation to significant issues in diagnostics and quality assurance.
- The EPPO Secretariat provides the Chair and Secretary for meetings.