Plant Health in the Global Trading Environment

1
Plant Health in the Global Trading Environment
An Introduction

• GRAEME EVANS

2
Structure of the Presentation

• World Trade Organization
• Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and
  Phytosanitary Measures
• Sanitary and phytosanitary measures
• Obligations to provide data on pests
• Need to develop pest lists

3
The World Trade Organization

• Successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and
  Trade
• Established in 1995
• 148 members
• Rules based
• Dispute settlement mechanism
• Has provision for applying penalties to countries
  that do not abide by the rules

4
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures

• SPS measures are domestic food standards covering
  such matters as
• - Toxins
• - Microbial contaminants
• - Pesticide residues
• - Heavy metals
• Pests, weeds and diseases that may be moved in
  agricultural commodities

5
The Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary
Measures

• Allows countries to manage trade in agricultural
  commodities to protect human, animal and plant
  health
• But,
• Countries seeking to impose barriers are required
  to undertake a pest risk analysis
• - Requires detailed knowledge of the health
  (pest) status of agricultural industries
  occurrence, host range, prevalence and geographic
  distribution

6
Agricultural Trade Under the WTO

• Governments everywhere are under pressure from
  their constituents to use the provisions of the
  SPS agreement to maximise competitive advantage
• to prise open markets previously closed on
  questionable quarantine grounds
• to exclude imports that are seen as posing a risk
  to domestic industries

7
Agricultural Trade Under the WTO

• Agricultural trade has expanded but developing
  countries continue to have difficulty in
  accessing the high value markets in developed
  countries

8
Obligations on Exporters to Provide Data on Pest
Status

• IPPC
• ISPM 8
• SPS Agreement

9
Obligation on Exporters to Provide Data on Pest
Status

• International Plant Protection convention, 1997
  Article VII International cooperation 1.The
  contracting parties shall cooperate with one
  another to the fullest practicable extent in
  achieving the aims of this Convention, and shall
  in particularc) cooperate, to the extent
  practicable, in providing technical and
  biological information necessary for pest risk
  analysis.

10
Obligation on Exporters to Provide Data on Pest
Status

• Article 6.3 of the SPS Agreement states that ..
• exporting Members claiming that areas within
  their territories are pest- or disease-free areas
  or areas of low pest prevalence shall provide the
  necessary evidence thereof in order to
  objectively demonstrate to the importing Member
  that such areas are, and are likely to remain,
  pest- or disease-free areas of low pest
  prevalence, respectively. For this purpose,
  reasonable access shall be given, upon request,
  to the importing Member for inspection, testing
  and other relevant procedures.

11
Obligation on Exporters to Provide Data on Pest
Status.

• IPSM 8 states that
• All countries may use pest status information
  for
• PRA purposes
• Planning national, regional or international pest
  management programs
• Establishing national pest lists and
• Establishing and maintaining pest free areas.

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The Purpose of Pest Collections

• Provide information on the pest status of a
  countrys agricultural crop and forest industries
• Support the development of pest management
  strategies
• Provide the basis for domestic and international
  quarantine policies
• Provide a reference point for determining whether
  new pest records are endemic species
• Underpin trade

13
Populating Biological Collections

• Can be fast-tracked by targeted surveillance
• Need to build competency in five areas
• Surveillance
• Diagnostics
• Specimen preservation
• Collection
• Data management