Module 1 - Plant passport
The first module concerns queries on your knowledge of plant passports. It is important to be acquainted with the aim of plant passports, how they should be used, completed and issued, so that you will not have any problems with your consignment.
You can e.g. find information on plant passports under these links
Homepage of the Danish Agricultural Agency:
Our home page has recently been extended with a completely new page about the new plant health (phytosanitary) legislation, which entered into force on 14 December 2019. This page describes e.g. the new plant passport rules. The homepage of the Danish Agricultural Agency about the Regulation on protective measures against pests of plants (“Plant Health Regulation”) can be found here.
The plant passport guidance:
The Agricultural Agency has also prepared a Plant passport guidance, which describes everything you need to know about the format of the plant passport, where it should be placed, etc. The Plant passport guidance is included here
Plant passport FAQs:
In connection with the new Plant health legislation, the Agricultural Agency has prepared FAQs for de most common issues. These FAQs contain easy-to-read information on general queries regarding the plant passport. FAQs on plant passports can be found here
Plant Health Regulation:
In the Plant Health Regulation you can, inter alia, read the legal requirements for the plant passport, what format it should have, the applying colour restrictions, how it should be marked if consigned to a protected zone, and much more. The Plant Health Regulation is included here
Module 2 - Good practice in the plant production
Why good practice?
As part of issuing plant passports it is important to be acquainted with good practice in the plant production and to be able to identify the critical points in a production. Good practice in the plant production is required in order to secure a sound production, prevent infestations with pests as far as possible and discover any infestations at an early stage, making it easier to control the pest.
The principles of good praxis are the same whether you wish to avoid especially serious pests of plants or avoid commonly occurring pests, which can also do great damage to the production.
Be vigilant for pathways and risks
Good practice broadly involves highlighting the pathways of spread of pests of plants and to be constantly wary of risks. In many ways, good practice for avoiding pests in plant production can be compared to the good practice used to avoid infectious diseases between humans.
More information on good practice in the plant production and common sense
If you are affiliated to an analyst or a counselling centre, you may often receive information on good practice in the plant production there. You may also find information on the subject at different sites on the internet. Below you can find various links to pages that deal with the subject. Information in Danish on good practice in the plant production is unfortunately largely lacking.
Good practice in plant production mainly involves common sense, and your common sense is exactly what you need to answer the queries in module 2.
You can e.g. find information on good practice under these links
If you search the internet, the following words will come handy: Best practice, good practice in plant production, avoid plant pests, plant diseases, pest free plant nursery, EPPO standards
Read more about Best Management Practices - Control pests without pesticides, on this page
Read more about Prevent plant diseases in your garden, on this page
Module 3 – Pests and symptoms
Which pests?
There are many possible pests that can harm plants, e.g. fungi, viruses, bacteria, nematodes, insects and snails. Some are domestic and quite common, while others are quarantine pests, which cannot be found in Denmark and which must be reported and controlled when found. Both could cause severe damage to your production.
Luckily enough, finding quarantine pests in your production is not very likely. Should a quarantine pest be found, your production may become subject to trading restrictions and other restrictions for some time, in order to avoid spreading the pest.
Pay attention to symptoms
It is important to regularly monitor your plants and to pay attention to symptoms of pest infestations. This particularly concerns symptoms you have not previously seen in your culture, since these could involve infestations of especially harmful pests of plants. When you discover new symptoms that you do not recognize, it is always important to react quickly and investigate what is wrong with your plants, in order to prevent spread and establishment, leading to great losses.
When you are about to identify which pest is harming your production, it is important to take a closer look at the symptoms and the pest, if this is possible. Pests have various life stages, which can make it difficult to identify the one at hand.
If you are suspecting that your plants are harmed by a quarantine pest, you should concentrate on the quarantine pests that your plants may serve as hosts for. It is also important to pay attention to broad spectrum pests, which can harm a broad spectrum of plant species.
Information on pests and symptoms
If you are affiliated to an analyst or a counselling centre, you can often find informed on pests and symptoms there. You may also find a wide range of pest information items and symptoms, and keys to identifying the pest, in books and on the internet. You should be aware that the information may be obsolete, and that a pest is not always indicated as a quarantine pest. This is due to the regular updating of the list of quarantine pests. While some pests are included on the list, others are deleted.
You can e.g. find information on pests under these links
Fact sheets: The Agricultural Agency has prepared a series of fact sheets on especially harmful pests of plants. The fact sheets are included here: Fact sheet on pests of plants.
Pest encyclopaedia: The Danish Agricultural Agency has prepared a Pest encyclopaedia on selected pests of plants. The page will typically reveal information on the biology, spread and symptoms of the pest. The Pest encyclopaedia can be found here: Pest encyclopaedia on selected pests of plants.
EPPO: On the EPPO homepage you can search information on particular pests. In most cases, EPPO will describe the pests’ biology, spread, characteristics, and symptoms of infestation. The EPPO homepage can be found here
Plant Health Regulation: In the Annexes to the Plant Health Regulation you can find a list of all EU quarantine pests (Annex II), a list of protected zones in the EU and protected zone-quarantine pests (Annex III), a list of RNQPs and host plants affected (Annex IV), as well as measures for avoiding RNQPs on specific plants (Annex V). The Annexes can be found here: Annex to the Plant Health Regulation.
Module 4 – Especially harmful pests of plants
The fourth module concerns especially harmful pests of plants, consisting of EU quarantine pests, protected zone-quarantine pests, and pests subject to emergency phytosanitary measures. In addition, there are EU regulated non-quarantine pests, also called “RNQPs”, which consist of quality pests.
It is important to be able to tell the various groups of pests apart, and to know which rules apply to which group. It is also important to know where relevant information can be found on the groups.
You can e.g. find information on pests under these links
Fact sheets:
The Danish Agricultural Agency has prepared a series of fact sheets on especially harmful pests.
The fact sheets can be found here
EPPO:
On the EPPO homepage you can search information on particular pests. In most cases, EPPO describes the harmful pests’ biology, spread, characteristics, and symptoms of infestation.
The EPPO homepage can be found here
Regulation on plant health:
The rules for each group of pests are specified in the Regulation on plant health. In the Annexes to the Plant Health Regulation you can find a list of all EU quarantine pests (Annex II), a list of protected zones in the EU and protected zone-quarantine pests (Annex III), a list of RNQPs and host plants affected (Annex IV), as well as measures for avoiding RNQPs on specific plants (Annex V).
Here you can read the Regulation on plant health
The Annexes to the Regulation on plant health can be found here
Module 5 – Obligation to report and action plans
The fifth module concerns your obligation to report a finding or a suspected finding of especially harmful pests of plants, and what an action plan may look like, and what it should contain.
Obligation to report
It is important to know what you, as a citizen or a company, are required to report to the Agricultural Agency in connection with a finding or a suspected finding of especially harmful pests of plants.
Read more on the obligation to report, and how to report, here
Action plan
Besides knowing about plant passports, good practice in the plant production, pests and symptoms, especially harmful pests of plants and the obligation to report, the company must also elaborate an action plan. This should be used in cases where you suspect a finding or come across especially harmful pests of plants.
In collaboration with inter-branch organisations and advisory services, the Danish Agricultural Agency has prepared a standard template for elaborating an action plan for your business.
