EPPO Platform on PRAs

In order to prevent the entry and spread of damaging pests, it is important to identify potential risks at an early stage and propose technically justified phytosanitary measures to mitigate these risks. Pest Risk Analysis supports the decision-making process whether action should be taken against a pest found during an inspection, or when an outbreak is discovered, and to decide whether the pest should be regulated or not, and propose risk management options. PRAs are conducted both at regional and national level by National Plant Protection Organizations and dedicated agencies.

The aim of the EPPO Platform on PRAs is to provide a single portal for all pest and commodity PRAs relevant for the EPPO region. NPPOs of EPPO member countries and their national agencies involved in PRA activities are encouraged to upload their PRA information on the EPPO Platform. All types of PRAs on all types of pests can be submitted, either in English or any other national language.

Content

The EPPO Platform on PRAs contains files of (and links to) various types of PRAs produced since the early 1990s to the present date, as well as some additional documents related to PRA activities. As of September 2023, the database included more than 2000 PRAs.

• EPPO PRAs
• EFSA PRAs
• National PRAs prepared by EPPO member countries
• PRAs produced in the framework of EU-funded projects
• A selection of interesting PRAs from other parts of the world
• Scientific articles related to PRA activities

In a restricted part of the Platform, registered users can also share draft PRAs, or their future plans to conduct PRAs in order to facilitate collaboration and share the workload.

PRAs may be more or less complex documents, depending on their objectives and the circumstances in which they are conducted. The objective is to share all types of pest risk assessments (e.g. qualitative PRAs quantitative PRAs, Express PRAs, quick scans, interception PRAs, commodity PRAs) on all types of pests (e.g. arthropods, viruses, bacteria, phytoplasmas, fungi, nematodes, invasive plants).

Search tools

PRAs can be easily retrieved by searching for:

• a pest or a crop by its scientific name, or its EPPO Code,
• a specific institute, country or PRA area,
• date when the PRA was published
• keywords (e.g. 'commodity PRAs', 'bark beetle', ‘wood’).

Access

Please note that most PRA information is public but some additional information (i.e. draft PRAs, plans for future PRAs) is available to registered users only.

Each EPPO member country can create (freely) an account for its NPPO, as well as for relevant national agencies or institutes dealing with Pest Risk Analysis. Only registered institutions can post PRAs on this platform. Registered users should be affiliated to a registered institution. Once logged in, registered users have access to the entire contents of the Platform, including documents that are of restricted access.

Newsletter of the EPPO Platform on PRAs

A monthly newsletter is available for any interested person. It lists all the pest risk analysis that have been published on the EPPO Platform in the previous month. To subscribe (free of charge), go to: https://pra.eppo.int/newsletter