The RPLI has a clear process for the development of its crop-specific regulated pest lists and the review of existing ones. The database is a work in progress. Regulated pest lists for seed crops are added and existing crop-specific lists are reviewed at regular intervals.

The assessment of each crop-specific regulated pest list is processed independently and externally reviewed with rigour to ensure quality information and referencing, by plant pathologist experts on the crop. The assessment of the ISF regulated pest list follows the principles of the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) guidelines.

Assessments are based on scientific evidence by conducting a literature review and the industry’s knowledge and experience. One important aspect of the assessment is the evidence of a pest causing infestation on the crop species in accordance with ISPM 38 – International movement of seeds. A pest that has been proven to be seed-transmitted in one host is not necessarily seed transmitted in all known hosts (ISPM 38). In accordance with ISPM 11 – Pest risk analysis for quarantine pests, pests and their hosts are recommended to be assessed at the species level unless there is technical justification for using a higher or lower taxonomic level.

A pest is defined as any species, strain or biotype of plant, animal or pathogenic agent injurious to plants or plant products and a host is a species capable of sustaining a specific pest or another organism (ISPM 05). Pests associated with seed can be classified as seed-borne, which include seed-transmitted pests, or contaminants and are defined as follows:

A seed-borne pest is a pest that is carried by seeds externally or internally that may or may not be transmitted to plants grown from seeds, causing their infestation (ISPM 38).

A seed-transmitted pest is a seed-borne pest that is transmitted via seeds directly to plants grown from these seeds, causing their infestation (ISPM 38).

A contaminating pest is a pest that is present in a seed lot (including seeds of plants as pests)  (ISPM 38).

Regulated pests of a crop species are classified into five categories:

Yes, seed is a known pathway for the pest on the crop species.

No, seed is not known to be or known to not be a pathway for the pest on the crop species.

Uncertain, Seed as a pathway for the pest on the crop species is not certain because the evidence is limited, doubtful, or conflicting.

Not a host, no references found indicating that the crop is a natural host for the pest.

Not applicable, an assessment could not be conducted at genus/family level since not all species within a genus/family share identical transmission characteristics, for species complex since not all the sub-species may have the same host range or for pest names that are obsolete.