On 23 July 2026, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published an event report on the fifteenth webinar in a series of 20 on EU priority pests, focusing on the Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica). The webinar, held under a framework contract for technical and scientific support to EFSA's training courses on plant pest surveillance, provided an overview of the pest's characteristics and included a practical simulation using the RiPEST tool. The recording is available on EFSA's YouTube channel and the EU Academy.
The webinar is part of a broader EFSA initiative to improve plant health crisis preparedness through training on surveillance of priority pests. The series, promoted by EFSA in collaboration with academic experts, covers 20 pests identified as priorities for the EU. The Japanese beetle is a regulated quarantine pest that poses a threat to a wide range of crops, including fruit trees, vines, and ornamental plants. The webinar aimed to equip plant health inspectors and national authorities with practical skills for detecting and monitoring the pest.
The event report details the main results of the session, which included expert presentations and a hands-on simulation to reinforce learning. The use of RiPEST, a risk-based pest surveillance tool, allowed participants to practice designing survey strategies. The report does not specify the date of the live webinar, but the publication date of the report is 23 July 2026.
Stakeholders most impacted by this training include EU plant health authorities, who gain improved surveillance capabilities; agricultural producers, who benefit from early detection and reduced crop damage; and the broader EU economy, which is protected from potential pest outbreaks. The training also supports EFSA's role in providing scientific advice and capacity building for member states. No prior coverage of this specific webinar series exists in the available record, marking this as a new initiative in EFSA's plant health preparedness efforts.