Pest risk assessment made by France on Erionota thrax L. considered by France as harmful in French overseas departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion - Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Plant Health

• Authors : EFSA Panel on Plant Health


• Document type : Journal article


• Year of publication : 2008


• Journal title : EFSA Journal


• Number : 672




• Pages : 1-23


• Peer-reviewed : Yes


• ISSN : 1831-4732


• Language(s) : English


• Abstract : Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Plant Health was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on 30 pest risk assessments made by France on organisms which are considered by France as harmful in four French overseas departments, i.e. French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion. In particular, the Panel was asked whether these organisms can be considered as harmful organisms for the endangered area of the above departments, in the meaning of the definition mentioned in Article 2.1.(e) of Directive 2000/29/EC and thus potentially eligible for addition to the list of harmful organisms in Directive 2000/29/EC. This document presents the opinion of the Panel on Plant Health on the simplified Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion considered as endangered area. pest risk assessment conducted by France on Erionota thrax L. with French Guiana, Erionota thrax (L.) (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae), the palm redeye, banana skipper or banana leafroller, is a pest of bananas, Musa textilis, and some other Zingiberales. Larvae feed on leaves of cultivated and wild banana plants. In its native areas, the defoliation of banana plants is usually very low, but in non-native areas it can be serious during outbreaks and favourable weather conditions. Complete defoliation has been reported sporadically. The Panel examined the risk assessment in detail, and considered the accuracy and quality of the information provided and methods applied for pest risk assessment purposes. It came to the conclusion that the information material provided in the document could be considerably improved. The review was based on the principles of the International Standard on Phytosanitary Measures ISPM No. 11: Pest risk analysis for quarantine pests including analysis of environmental risks and living modified organisms (2004) by the International Plant Protection Convention (FAO, 2007b). The Panel concluded that it is not possible to conduct a risk assessment on E. thrax alone because of uncertainties with its taxonomy and the general confusion in the literature about Erionota spp. The document is therefore, in effect, not a risk assessment just for E. thrax but also for three other closely related Erionota spp. (E. torus, E. hiraca, and E. surprisa). The judgements made by the Panel - if not specified otherwise - thus refer to all four of these closely related Erionota spp. On this basis, the Panel, in general, accepts the conclusions in the French document. The Panel agrees that Erionota spp. have a low probability of entry for the French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique due to the long distance from its current area of distribution and the existing phytosanitary legislation. However, the probability of Erionota spp. gaining entry to French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique would be moderate if the current regulations governing imports of banana material were lifted. The probability of entry for Réunion is higher due to its proximity to Mauritius where Erionota spp. are present. The probability of Erionota spp. establishing in the PRA area after entry is high, since host plants are grown in the PRA area and the climatic conditions are similar to the areas where the 4 species currently occur. The Erionota spp. can have severe impacts on banana in certain situations. However, the conclusion of the French document that the economic impact would be "extremely high" for Guadeloupe and Martinique and "fairly high" for French Guiana and Réunion cannot be supported by the Panel on the basis of the information provided in the pest risk assessment or from the information available in the scientific literature. Based on the information available, the Panel concludes that the impact of Erionota spp. would be low for French Guiana and Réunion and moderate for the Guadeloupe and Martinique. However, without additional information on the pest and the impacts it causes in Mauritius, the risk posed to Réunion and the other French overseas departments cannot be reliably clarified. The Panel concludes that (a) the probability of entry is low for French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique, and higher for Réunion, (b) the probability of establishment is high for all the French overseas departments, and (c) the potential for economic damage is low for French Guiana and Réunion and moderate for Guadeloupe and Martinique. The Panel, based on the information provided in the document and on additional literature consulted, concludes that E. thrax and the three other closely related Erionota spp. are appropriate for evaluation of pest risk management options for the endangered areas of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion and thus potentially eligible for addition to the list of harmful organisms in Directive 2000/29/EC.


• Keywords : ERIONOTA THRAX; FRANCE; GUADELOUPE; MARTINIQUE; FRENCH GUIANA; REUNION; PEST RISK ANALYSIS


• Open access : Yes


• Document on publisher's site : View article on publisher's site


• Musalit document ID : IN150013

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