Protecting the world’s plant resources from pests through harmonized diagnostics protocols

1Doctoral degree in Agronomy (Plant Pathology), Agricultural Standards Officer at the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC/ FAO), International Plant Protection Convention Secretariat (IPPC), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO/UN), Viale delle Terme di Caracalla. 00153 Rome, Italy, Email: Adriana.Moreira@fao.org 

2Bachelor degree in Agriculture, Plant Science, Agricultural Standards Senior Officer at the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC/ FAO), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO/UN), Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy, Email: Brent.Larson@fao.org

The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) established in 1952[1], is an international plant health agreement that aims to protect cultivated, wild plants and plant products by preventing the introduction and spread of pests. As of January 2015, the IPPC has grown into a body that encompasses a worldwide membership of 181 contracting parties, including Brazil.

 International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) are internationally agreed upon phytosanitary measures that have been adopted by the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM), which is the governing body of the IPPC. ISPMs cover invasive pests of plants, including weeds that cause damage to plants both directly and indirectly. In order to help manage these pests, they must be regulated within the territory of the importing contracting party, and these are defined as “regulated pests”. ISPMs extend beyond the protection of cultivated plants to the protection of natural flora. The standards cover the movement of traded goods such as plants and plant products and also apply to vehicles, ships, aircraft, containers, storage places, soil, wood packaging and other objects that could harbour plant pests such as well. ISPMs facilitate safe trade by providing guidance on procedures, regulations and treatments that can be used to manage pest risks associated with the international movement of goods and conveyances.

The IPPC is the only standard setting organization for plant health recognized by the members of the World Trade Organization under the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the SPS Agreement).

  Its implementation of the Convention involves collaboration by the IPPC contracting parties, which have the obligation to set up an National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO), the official services established by governments to discharge the functions specified by the IPPC, and Regional Plant Protection Organizations (RPPOs), which can act as coordinating bodies at a regional level to achieve the objectives of the IPPC. Suggestions for international standards can be made by national or regional plant protection organizations, or by other groups through the IPPC Secretariat. They are developed by expert drafting groups and reviewed by technical committees, NPPOs and RPPOs and adopted by the CPM. The Secretariat of the IPPC is provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

There are over 58 ISPMs[2] as of January 2015, including 6 diagnostic protocols for regulated pests as Annexes to ISPM 27: 2006.  Diagnostic protocols for regulated pests[3] and 15 phytosanitary treatments as Annexes to ISPM 28: 2007.  Phytosanitary treatments for regulated pests. All ISPMs, including those in draft and consultation stages, are freely available through the IPPC Web site (www.ippc.int) or from the IPPC Secretariat.

Diagnostic protocols (DPs) contain the minimum requirements for reliable diagnosis of a specified regulated pest, and provide flexibility to developing and developed countries to ensure that methods are appropriate for use in the full range of circumstances for which a diagnostic protocol may be used (e.g. from detection of a pest in a consignment, to surveillance, to routine diagnosis). The methods included in diagnostic protocols are selected on the basis of their sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility. Only methods of relevance for diagnostics are given in the protocol. Information on record keeping and contact points are provided to help laboratories and NPPOs in the implementation of the methods described in the protocols.

Currently there are 29 DPs under the IPPC work programme[4] (per 01 January 2015) at different stages of development. Each protocol deals with either one species or a group of species, in the following categories: i) bacteria; ii) fungi and fungus-like organisms; iii) insects and mites; iv) nematodes; v) plants and; vi) viruses and phytoplasmas. Each DP is drafted by a group of authors coordinated by a lead author and overseen by a discipline lead from the Technical Panel on Diagnostic Protocols (TPDP)[5]. This process is conducted by the IPPC Secretariat. The TPDP was established in 2004 and is currently composed by 9 experts from worldwide, and there are more than 120 authors composing the DP drafting groups[6]. The TPDP proposes priorities for protocols to be developed, approves specialists to develop each protocol, supervises the production of the DPs, and considers other topics related to diagnosis of regulated pests.

The IPPC standard setting process involves several consultation stages and recently, in order to improve the process for DPs, an expert consultation stage[7] has been introduced where experts are invited to comment on early drafts. It is noted that these activities should facilitate trade and aid the development of expertise and international cooperation, harmonization and technical exchange between contracting parties.

The IPPC welcomes comments on draft DPs and invites experts on plant health to contribute during the expert consultation of draft DPs.

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