What are the RNQP Projects?
Under the EU Plant Health Law, Regulation (EU) 2016/2031, a list of RNQPs is established in Regulation (EU) 2019/2072. In this context, the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) led an initial 2-year project funded by the European Commission (EU COM) on RNQPs: The ‘EU Quality Pest Project’ (contract SANTE/2016/G1/SI2.726941, also referred to as RNQP Project part 1). Launched in April 2016, this project aimed to develop a first set of recommendations for RNQPs within the EU. The EPPO Secretariat also sought endorsement of these recommendations for the EPPO region.
More recently, a second 2-year project on RNQPs was funded by the EU COM (contract SANTE/2023/NP/0030-SI2.904411, referred to as RNQP Project part 2). Launched in November 2023, this project aimed to develop a second set of recommendations.
Pests under focus
The pests/entries assessed during the RNQP Project part 1 are those previously listed within the EU Marketing Directives on reproductive material (except for the Fruit Sector), plus some proposed by the Annex Working Group section 2 (IIA2 AWG) of the EU COM and mainly coming from Annex II.A.2. of EU Council Directive 2000/29/EC.
The RNQP Project part 2 assessed the pests from the EU Marketing Directives for the Fruit sector, plus additional pests for the fruit (including hops) and grapevine, forest, oil and fibre plant, as well as cereal and vegetable seed sectors. Some re-assessments were performed.
Combined together, both projects enabled a full assessment of pests previously listed in the EU Marketing Directives for all sectors.
How did we work?
The scope of the contract for RNQP Project part 1 was first to define a screening methodology, and then to apply the methodology to about 1400 pest/host/intended use combinations, to recommend a list of pests to be listed as Union RNQPs.
- The methodology was developed with the support of a Horizontal Expert Working Group, before being endorsed by the EPPO Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations and published in the EPPO Bulletin.
- The methodology has been applied during the RNQP Project part 1 with the support of six different Sector Expert Working Groups organized by crop or group of crops. Economic values of the plant for planting sectors were collected using a questionnaire.
The RNQP Project part 2 involved the assessment of 424 pest/host combinations for the Fruit (including hops) and grapevine sector; and 13 pest/host combinations for all the other sectors. The same methodology as used in the previous project was applied.
- During this second Project, the methodology has been applied with the support of a Fruit (including hop) and grapevine Sector Expert Working Group (SEWG), and of additional experts.
In both projects, economic values of the plant for planting sectors were collected using questionnaires. Pre-existing EU tolerance levels and risk management measures were confirmed/adjusted in the Sector Expert Working Groups, based on the responses to the questionnaires.
Kiwi plant production in the South-West of France, 2014 (Credit: C. Picard)