Importing plants into the Netherlands: an assessment of the risk of plant parasitic nematodes and a survey on their entry with adhering soil

Few plant parasitic nematodes are currently included in the European Union (EU) regulated pest lists. However, many plant parasitic nematodes not present in the EU are known to be damaging and present a risk to Europe. Therefore a study was performed to assess the risk of importing plant parasitic nematodes with the soil attached to plants for planting, with emphasis on plants in pots. Prior to the survey, a list of harmful plant parasitic nematodes not present within Europe was prepared per continent based on a literature review. This resulted in a Risk List of 26 species. Additionally, over a 3‐year period a survey was carried out on plants for planting imported to the Netherlands with adhering soil, focusing on all plant parasitic nematodes and with special attention to the nematodes on the Risk List. A total of 258 soil samples were studied, originating from 54 different plant species and 20 different countries. Despite the small number of samples, several quarantine nematodes and species from the Risk List were detected, including new nematode–plant combinations. This survey illustrates that plants with adhering soil can be a pathway for the introduction of listed nematodes, including those from the Risk List, to the EU/EPPO region. This information might encourage a more risk‐based approach to performing import inspections.