The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published estimated survey parameters for the detection of Anoplophora chinensis, a priority pest under EU law, to help Member States design harmonised pest surveys. The technical report, released on 29 June 2026, provides quantitative values for sampling effectiveness, design prevalence, and relative risk, derived from expert knowledge elicitations conducted since 2025. These parameters will be integrated into EFSA's Plant Pest Survey Toolkit, enabling statistically sound and risk-based surveys across the EU.
The report is part of a broader EFSA effort to fill gaps in pest-specific scientific literature for priority pests listed in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/1702. Since 2025, EFSA has carried out similar expert elicitations for other pests, including Anoplophora glabripennis, Dendrolimus sibiricus, Aromia bungii, Agrilus anxius, and Thaumatotibia leucotreta, with corresponding technical reports published in the same series. The work responds to a request from the European Commission (question number EFSA-Q-2026-00048) and involves EFSA scientists Alexandre Nougadère, David Makowski, Daria Rzepecka, Naliny Feliu, Tomasz Kaluski, Sybren Vos, and researchers from the University of Thessaly.
The estimated parameters for Anoplophora chinensis aim to support EU Member States in designing detection surveys that are both statistically robust and risk-based, ensuring early detection of this invasive pest that threatens a wide range of broadleaf trees. The report includes supporting evidence and expert rationale for each parameter. By providing standardised survey parameters, EFSA facilitates a harmonised approach across the EU, reducing variability in survey design and improving the comparability of results. This benefits national plant protection authorities, who gain a ready-to-use methodology, and EU producers, who face reduced risk of pest outbreaks and associated economic losses. However, the reliance on expert elicitation rather than field data may introduce uncertainty, and Member States with existing survey protocols may need to adapt their practices to align with the new parameters, incurring administrative and training costs. The integration into EFSA's toolkit is expected to streamline survey planning, but the effectiveness of the parameters will depend on their adoption and consistent application across Member States.