European crops under threat: AREFLH is involved in a €6 million project to tackle the growing plant pest crisis.
June 2026
AREFLH is a partner in the PhytoPRISM consortium, a brand-new European project aimed at establishing the first platform capable of coordinating the European response to devastating agricultural and forest pest invasions.
As a project partner, AREFLH announces the creation of this ‘platform to support a systemic approach to phytosanitary risk management’, a new Horizon Europe initiative funded by the European Commission under the ‘Farm to Fork’ programme.
Coordinated by the University of Warwick, this €6 million project brings together 15 research institutes and stakeholder organisations from eight European countries (the United Kingdom, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland and Italy), which will develop innovative solutions to manage risks associated with plant pests in agricultural and forest ecosystems.
Indeed, insects and pathogens in particular destroy up to 40% of global agricultural production each year and pose a growing threat to food security, biodiversity and the resilience of Europe’s forests. The growing impacts of climate change and global trade continue to accelerate the introduction and spread of new pests, posing significant challenges for farmers, policy-makers and plant health authorities.
PhytoPRISM aims to address these challenges by developing a comprehensive platform that facilitates decision-making throughout the agri-food value chain. For the first time, plant health authorities will be able to model, evaluate and optimise pest management strategies, from prevention and early detection to control and long-term mitigation.
According to the project coordinator, Dr Stephen Parnell of the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick: “Until now, plant health authorities have had to make crucial decisions without ever having a complete picture of the situation. PhytoPRISM combines the best of modern epidemiological modelling with the practical knowledge of those on the ground, giving them the tools to make smarter, faster and more cost-effective decisions.”
By moving beyond fragmented approaches and promoting coordinated, systemic pest management, PhytoPRISM will help to strengthen the resilience of European agriculture and forestry whilst supporting the objectives of the European Green Deal and the ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy.
AREFLH will contribute its expertise and its European network of stakeholders in the fruit and vegetable sector to the project, thereby helping to ensure that the project’s outcomes meet the needs of producers and regional stakeholders across the EU.
Eriselda Canaj, European Projects Officer at AREFLH, commented: “We look forward to working with all our partners to develop innovative solutions that protect crops, strengthen food systems and improve the sustainability of European agriculture.”
The consortium
15 organisations, research institutes and stakeholders from 8 European countries : the United Kingdom, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland and Italy
Kik-off meeting
The project will be offically launched in September 2026. Stay tuned for more information!
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Know more about the project
- Social media information will be published during the last trimester of 2026
- Read all previous articles written by AREFLH on this project here
This project receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement Nr.101287943.