The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published a report on the 12th webinar of its priority pest training series, focused on the wood-boring beetle Agrilus anxius, the bronze birch borer. The webinar, held under EFSA's framework contract for technical and scientific support to 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.
This is the ninth webinar in a round of 20 on EU priority pests, designed to improve plant health crisis preparedness. The series, promoted by EFSA in collaboration with academic experts, covers various pest groups. Previous webinars in the series have addressed other wood-boring beetles, including Agrilus planipennis (emerald ash borer) in Webinar 11, and long-horned beetles such as Anoplophora chinensis, Aromia bungii, and Anoplophora glabripennis in Webinars 8, 9, and 10. The training aims to equip EU member state experts with surveillance and identification skills to detect and respond to potential pest outbreaks.
The report details the webinar's structure and outcomes, emphasizing practical simulation as a key training component. The use of RiPEST, a risk-based pest surveillance tool, allows participants to apply theoretical knowledge to realistic scenarios. EFSA's initiative supports the EU's plant health regime, which prioritizes early detection and rapid response to quarantine pests. The webinar series is part of broader efforts to strengthen biosecurity and protect European forests and agriculture from invasive species.