Quarantine pests are plant diseases or pests of potential economic significance which are not present or only occur locally in Switzerland. They are subject to a general notification and control obligation. If a harmful organism is to be regulated by a country as a quarantine pest, a risk analysis must be carried out in accordance with international standards and specific criteria must be met. For example, feasible and effective measures must be available to prevent the entry and spread of the organism and to mitigate the impact thereof.
In Switzerland, quarantine pests are regulated by Annex 1 to the EAER and DETEC Ordinance on the Plant Health Ordinance (PGesV-WBF-UVEK, SR 916.201).
Quarantine pests expected to cause the greatest damage, and for which control measures are most urgently required, are regulated as “priority quarantine pests”. In Switzerland, the following quarantine pests must currently be accorded priority with regard to communication, surveillance and contingency planning:
Agriculture and horticulture:
- Anastrepha ludens (Mexican fruit fly)
- Anthonomus eugenii (pepper weevil)
- Aromia bungii (peach red-necked longhorn)
- Bactericera cockerelli (potato psyllid, tomato psyllid)
- Bactrocera dorsalis (oriental fruit fly)
- Bactrocera zonata (peach fruit fly)
- Causing agents of the Citrus greening disease (Candidatus Liberibacter africanus, Candidatus Liberibacter americanus, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus)
- Clavibacter sepedonicus (ring rot of potato)
- Conotrachelus nenuphar (plum weevil)
- Phyllosticta citricarpa (citrus black spot)
- Popillia japonica (Japanese beetle)
- Ralstonia solanacearum (brown rot of potato)
- Rhagoletis pomonella (apple fruit fly)
- Spodoptera frugiperda (fall armyworm)
- Thaumatotibia leucotreta (false codling moth)
- Xylella fastidiosa
Forest:
- Agrilus anxius (bronze birch borer)
- Agrilus planipennis (emerald ash borer)
- Anoplophora chinensis (citrus long-horned beetle)
- Anoplophora glabripennis (Asian long-horned beetle)
- Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (pine wood nematode)
- Dendrolimus sibiricus