Final Conference of the PRATIQUE project and a discussion on the future of Pest Risk Analysis in the European Union (York, GB, 2011-05-24/25)
The final Conference of the PRATIQUE project and a discussion on the future of Pest Risk Analysis in the European Union will take place at the Food and Environment Research Agency in York (GB) on 24-25th May 2011. The objectives of this Conference are:
- To present the results of the PRATIQUE project
- To discuss the future of PRA in the EU in the light of the revision to the EU Plant Health Regime and other developments
Online registration (deadline 2011-02-11) can be made here: http://meeting.eppo.org/register.php/T2935
PRATIQUE is an EC-funded 7th Framework research project designed to address the major challenges for pest risk analysis (PRA) in Europe. The research project, which began in March 2008, is being undertaken by scientists from 13 institutes in the EU and one each from Australia and New Zealand with subcontractors from institutes in China and Russia. PRATIQUE has three principal objectives: (a) to assemble the datasets required to construct PRAs valid for the whole of the EU, (b) to conduct multidisciplinary research that enhances the techniques used in PRA and (c) to provide a decision support scheme for PRA that is efficient and user-friendly. It is producing a structured inventory of PRA datasets for the EU and undertaking targeted research to improve existing procedures and develop new methods for (a) the assessment of economic, environmental and social impacts, (b) summarising risk while taking account of uncertainty, (c) mapping endangered areas (d) pathway risk analysis and systems approaches and (e) guiding actions during emergencies caused by outbreaks of harmful organisms. The results are being tested and provided as protocols, decision support systems and computer programs with examples of best practice linked to a computerised version of the EPPO PRA scheme. Further details are available on the PRATIQUE website: https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/pratique/index.cfm
Sources
Personal communication with Dr Richard Baker (Fera, York, GB), coordinator of the PRATIQUE project (2011-01).