EUPHRESCO II

Basic Information

Description

"The Community Plant Health Regime (CPHR) aims to prevent the introduction, establishment and spread of regulated and quarantine plant pests. These pests pose increasing risks to European agriculture, horticulture, forestry and the environment. This is due to increased globalisation of trade (volume and diversity), but is exacerbated by climate change and EU expansion (increased pathways). In comparison, resources for national plant health inspection services, science programmes and research are declining. For this reason, the EUPHRESCO Phytosanitary ERA-Net was established in 2006, with the full support of the EU Council Working Party of Chief Officers of Plant Health Services. It aimed to better coordinate national, trans-national and EU-funded research in direct support of the CPHR (EU policy, inspection services and science capability). The current EUPHRESCO Project ends in 2010; this new EUPHRESCO-II proposal will deepen and enlarge the previously successful cooperation between research programmes. EUPHRESCO-II will: Strengthen the basis for, and result in, a self-sustainable, long-term, durable network; Deepen the cooperation through continued trans-national research that optimises limited resources, supports other plant health initiatives and coordination mechanisms, and further develops a culture of collaboration; Deepen the cooperation by improving processes and tools and reducing barriers; Enlarging the network (31 partners, plus 14 Observers) to increase its critical mass, address more regional or sector-based (e.g. forestry plant health) issues and increase opportunities for international cooperation with non-European countries that are either the source of quarantine pests or share similar pest problems. Overall, EUPHRESCO II will enhance the European Research Area that supports the CPHR. It will directly support EU policy, operations and science capability by providing rapid and customised answers to challenges caused by quarantine plant pests."

Main research priorities of the network

The EUPHRESCO common research aganda lsist the following key areas of research: • Detection and identification methods (diagnostics) for use both in the laboratory and on-site by inspection services. • Support for pest risk analysis, both in terms of developing PRA science and filling in gaps and uncertainties in specific PRAs through research, to ensure evidence-based regulation and policy. • Intervention strategies, i.e. development of eradication, containment and management methods for regulated/quarantine pests. • Support for infrastructures, especially collections and taxonomic infrastructures. • The impact of climate change on plant health.