14th Meeting of the ad hoc Panel on Invasive Alien Species
Ski (NO), 2009-06-02/04
The 14th meeting of the ad hoc Panel on Invasive Alien Species took place in Ski (NO) on 2009-06-02/04 at the kind invitation of the Norwegian PPO. The Pest Risk Analyses for Hydrocotyle ranunculoides and Lysichiton americanus which had been reviewed during an EPPO Expert Working Group will be presented to the next Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations. The PM9 on Heracleum spp. has also been reviewed and finalized by the Panel and will be presented to the Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations.
The Panel members discussed their experiences on the prioritization process. To finalize this document now requires the combination of experts’ advice on the same species. Panel experts having run the process for specific species shall meet to come to an agreement on selected invasive alien plants at the EPPO Secretariat in the beginning of 2010. Following the study undertaken on the pathway on imported aquatic plants in the EPPO region, the Panel discussed the feasibility of a study on imported terrestrial plants.
The Panel considered that Verbesina encelioides should be the next invasive alien plant for which a workshop as well as an EPPO Expert Working Group should be organized in 2010.
The Panel had the opportunity to make a field trip and to observe invasive alien plants. The next Panel meeting will be held in Israel on 2010-06-05/07.