Pest surveillance

EU Member States need to be prepared for the increasing threat that plant pests pose to food production and the environment. They regularly carry out surveys to check for harmful plant pests originating from outside the EU, known as quarantine pests . The surveys track the emergence of quarantine pests, their possible spread, and changes in their numbers so the EU can better combat them.

To help EU Member States prepare and design their pest surveys, we have produced a toolkit that includes guidelines for best practice in carrying out these surveys, tools for statistical analysis and pest survey cards with specific information on each pest and how to survey them.

The toolkit also supports the harmonisation of surveillance methods across the EU.

We also organize training sessions and other events to assist Member States in using the toolkit for their surveillance activities. 

Preparing a survey: Pest survey cards

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Our pest survey cards provide key information on a pest including its taxonomy, distribution, biology, plant hosts, and potential establishment in the EU. The cards also include information on factors that can increase the risk of a pest’s introduction and spread, and methods for detection and identification.

The cards guide EU Member States in collecting relevant information for preparing surveys of quarantine pests in the EU in line with international standards and current EU legislation.

View our pest cards in our interactive gallery.

Designing a survey: guidelines and statistical tools

We developed a series of guidelines to support EU Member States in carrying out statistically sound and risk-based surveys. We produced general guidelines on the surveys and specific guidelines related to three pests as a pilot.

Our guidelines include instructions on how to conduct three different types of surveys - detection, delimitation and monitoring surveys - in line with international standards.

General Guidelines

• Work-plan and methodology
• General guidelines

Specific Guidelines

• Specific guidelines on Agrilus planipennis
• Specific guidelines on Phyllosticta citricarpa
• Specific guidelines on Xylella fastidiosa

We also developed statistical tools for calculating the required sampling from the given survey parameters: host population size, method sensitivity, confidence level and design prevalence .

Training and crisis preparedness

Training EU Member States and third countries in using the toolkit for their surveillance activities and preparing for plant health crisis is another important part of our work.  

In 2024, we launched a new advanced training initiative on pest surveillance, which aims to provide technical and scientific support for the design and implementation of statistically sound, risk-based pest surveys. 

Key elements include e-learning modules, interactive webinars, and expert-led training sessions. A series of webinars are planned until 2026. 

Recorded webinars and materials are available at: https://academy.europa.eu/courses/efsa-plant-pest-surveillance-toolkit