Pest risk assessment made by France on Banana mild mosaic virus (BanMMV) 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 : 652




• Pages : 1-21


• 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 contains the opinion of the Panel on Plant Health on the full pest risk assessment conducted by France on Banana mild mosaic virus (BanMMV) with French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion considered as endangered area. Banana mild mosaic virus (BanMMV) is a recently characterized virus of the family Flexiviridae which infects banana and plantains. BanMMV has a very wide geographic distribution and its presence has been reported in Guadeloupe and Martinique. The Panel examined in detail the risk assessment provided, and considered the accuracy and quality of the information provided and methods applied for pest risk assessment purposes. 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). Although the French pest risk assessment could be improved upon, the Panel agrees with the conclusion of the French document that the phytosanitary risk of BanMMV as a single virus is extremely low. The Panel agrees with the French analysis that BanMMV has a high probability of entry and establishment and that the international movement of large quantities of vitroplants represents the most important entry pathway. The Panel further considers that virus indexing of mother plants used for vitroplants production could provide an effective means to reduce the probability of entry of BanMMV in the area under consideration. Although BanMMV is a pathogenic agent for banana, the Panel concludes that the economic consequences of its further entry in the French overseas departments can be considered low since BanMMV, which is present in most if not all banana growing areas of the world, does not appear to be associated with significant yield loss in banana. However, the Panel recognises that there are several areas of BanMMV biology where information is incomplete or lacking. These areas of uncertainty include a) clarification of the host range of BanMMV, b) its symptom expression (in particular when in mixed infection with other banana-infecting viruses) and c) the possibility that the virus may have further potential for spread by a vector. The overall conclusion of the Panel is that BanMMV is not appropriate for analysis of risk management options for French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion and is thus not potentiallyeligible for addition to the list of harmful organisms of Directive 2000/29/EC.


• Keywords : GUADELOUPE; MARTINIQUE; FRENCH GUIANA; REUNION; PEST RISK ANALYSIS; BANANA MILD MOSAIC ViRUS


• Open access : Yes


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


• Musalit document ID : IN150001

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