The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published an event report on the 16th webinar in a series of 20 on EU priority pests, focusing on the potato psyllid Bactericera cockerelli. 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.
Bactericera cockerelli is a vector of 'Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum', a bacterium that causes zebra chip disease in potatoes and other solanaceous crops, leading to significant economic losses. The pest is considered a priority for the EU due to its potential to impact agricultural production. The webinar series, which includes other pests such as the Japanese beetle and long-horned beetles, aims to improve plant health crisis preparedness by training plant health professionals in surveillance and identification.
The report, published on 27 July 2026, is part of EFSA's ongoing efforts to support EU member states in detecting and managing priority pests. The training uses the RiPEST simulation tool to provide hands-on experience in pest surveillance scenarios. No prior coverage of this specific webinar series exists in the available record, but EFSA has previously published pest reports and survey parameters for Bactericera cockerelli to support ranking and detection design.