Table 8.

Overview of proposed risk mitigation measures for Ficus carica plants designated for export to the EU from Israel

	Risk mitigation measure	Implementation in Israel
1	Characteristics of the production field	The crops designated for export, are grown in different fields from the crops designated for the local market.Bare rooted plants. Plants are grown either in soil in open fields or in commercial growing medium in sack containers in net house.Liners: Rooted cuttings in growing medium. Cultivated in the same commercial growing medium as above in pots in a net house.According to Dossier Section 9.0, the growing medium that is used for the exported fig products is always new at the beginning of the production cycle.According to Dossier Section 9.0, the net is designed for shading – 40% shade and the net house is not entirely sealed.The Dossier Section 9.0 states ‘The water that is used for irrigation is regular tap water, that goes through a 120‐mesh filter to remove rough dirt like sand and stones. Liners are irrigated by sprinklers, and bare rooted plants receive drip irrigation’.
2	Soil treatment	Summer – open field soil preparation – before a new crop cycle, the field is treated with solarisation. Dossier Section 9.0 clarifies that solarisation is performed by covering the soil with transparent polyethylene for 2 months – July and August (normally the time of highest radiation). The polyethylene sheet is spread after the soil has been cleaned from the previous crop and has been processed for the next cycle. The polyethylene in the sheets is supplemented with ‘antidrip’ or ‘antifog’ substances which prevents water condensation and accumulation on the sheet, so improving treatment efficacy against pests by raising the under‐sheet temperature by 4–5°C compared with regular polyethylene sheets. The maximum temperature in the top 20 cm of the soil is 44–48°C daily, for the duration of 2 months. The sheets are maintained clean and intact through the treatment duration, and the soil moisture is maintained to the field capacity level, by weekly irrigation with water.
3	Rotation of the growing fields	Rotation of the growing fields between different locations in the manner of a ‘growing cycle’.
4	Insecticide treatment	During the growing season, production fields and mother plants are treated in a 3‐week cycle with preventative treatments, i.e. rotation of the following pesticides in alternation: Atlas (Bifenthrin), Ipon (Dinotefuran), Imidan (Phosmet) and EOS (Eco Oil Spray). Each pesticide is used every 9 weeks, and 2 or 3 times per season. These substances were selected for being effective in preventing a range of insect pests, including borers, and are permitted for use in fig plants (Dossier Section 9.0). The Panel interprets that EOS is sprayed during winter and the remaining three pesticides are sprayed in alternation during the growing season.The Dossier Section 1.0 provides a further list of pesticides (Deltamethrin, Lambda cyhalothrin, Spinetoram and Cyhexatin), which are sprayed periodically in a preventative manner. However, they are not included in the above cycle of preventative treatments.The routine, preventative insecticide treatment scheme is sufficient to maintain the cultivated figs free of mealybugs. In the unlikely case that mealybug reproduction is detected in the figs, additional treatment with one of the routine insecticides may be provided (Dossier Section 9.0).
5	Fungicide treatment	The nursery treats the plants with appropriate fungicides following any early signs of fungal infection (Dossier Section 9.0), which are very rarely encountered in the nursery fig cultivation (Dossier Section 1.0).The Dossier Section 9.0 states further that before rooting cuttings are immersed in Merpan (Captan).Post‐harvest treatment: The bare rooted plants are rinsed and soaked in Captan 0.5% and stored at 2°C. The plants are packed after Captan has evaporated to dryness.
6	Nematicide treatment	Against nematodes: treatment with Nemakor (Fenamiphos) and Bacillus firmus.
7	Treatment against weeds	Weeds are treated with Faster (Glufosinate ammonium).According to Dossier Section 9.0, the nursery maintains appropriate sanitation measures to ensure that there are no non‐cultivated herbaceous plants in the vicinity of the cultivated fig plants, including the access areas.
8	Plant treatment before export	Bare rooted plants: December – lifting the bare rooted plants from the open field, washing the soil off the roots, selecting, grading and packing them in boxes. Bare rooted plants are washed with regular tap water (not amended with chemicals) in a designated machine and leaves are removed (Dossier Section 9.0). The commodity is then stored at 2°C. The Panel assumes that the bare rooted plants grown in commercial growing medium are handled in the same way.Liners: December – Packaging of liners. Liners have leaves removed, and the plant and substrate are cleaned of plant debris (Dossier Section 9.0).Dossier Section 9.0 clarifies that the plants arrive at the packing house after rinsing. Each plant is topped, cleaned of any plant scraps and dried plant parts, and scanned for pest damages. A plant with obvious pest symptoms is destroyed. Plants with suspected symptoms are gathered in a designated place within the packing house, for further inspection with magnifying glasses and sampled for diagnosis, if needed, then destroyed based on findings.The Panel assumes that rinsing applies only to the bare rooted plants.
9	Sampling and testing	Soil and root samples are tested for nematodes as described in Dossier Section 9.0.Root samples with attached soil are tested for nematodes once during the active growth, during autumn. Sampling includes 10 plants from each field, and 10 soil samples per field that represent the entire field area.A soil sample is taken per 0.5–1 hectare, consists of 5–7 sampling points that are 5–30 cm deep and contains roots.Bare rooted plants and liners are collected with their substrate, wrapped in moist paper and placed in nylon bags.If any necrosis, galls or malformations are seen, they should be included in the sample.
10	Inspections during the production	All fields are under the control and inspection of a PPIS inspector every 45 days during the growing and delivery season which include a review of the nursery logbook for any pest and management reports, and searching the net houses and fields for any disease symptoms, pests and pest signs, weeds and anything that may carry risk to the plants for export. Nevertheless, species specific inspection schemes are not applied (Dossier Section 9.0).All plants for planting exported from Israel originate from nurseries that are approved by PPIS and are under PPIS inspection.Further to the PPIS inspection, the producers carry out regular comprehensive self‐inspections, once a week. This inspection is performed by the nursery agronomists and according to the PPIS inspector's instructions. According to Dossier Section 9.0 virus‐like symptoms are taken into account during the phytosanitary inspection throughout the cultivation process. Small pests such as thrips and mites produce obvious symptoms that indicate activity of these pests, and the regular inspection seeks any such symptoms. Further to this, the fields are scanned in an X route, by which 50 leaves are lifted for detection of small pests. The PPIS inspector has a magnifying glass with which any suspicious symptoms can be magnified. In addition, the root system of plants is checked after removing the plants from the pot to identify pests, including mealybugs.Whenever a harmful organism of interest is found at any production site, the grower is required to inform the PPIS and to treat the site as appropriate. During consecutive inspections, if there is no further evidence of the presence of the pest, the PPIS considers the site of production to be free from this harmful organism.According to Dossier Section 9.0, destruction of plants is common practice in preventative sanitation in fig plants. Cuttings that do not root or wither for any reason, e.g. lack of irrigation, are removed and destroyed. In the fig cultivation, no infection or contamination of plants has occurred that required decontamination.Further diagnostic procedures may be performed according to requirements of the importing country and following inspection findings that necessitate identification of a causative agent.Additional information on the applied phytosanitary procedures in plants destined for export in Israel, can be found in the European Commission report of an audit performed in Israel in March 2018, on the export controls of plants. Report No. 2018‐6493.
11	Inspections before export	Before export the plants, both bare rooted plants and liners are checked individually for pest damages (see risk mitigation measure no 8).
12	Surveillance and monitoring	No information available on specific surveys in the natural environment or the surrounding environment of the production areas (i.e. inspections outside production fields).