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Explanatory documents for International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures


Explanatory documents for International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) are produced as a result of a decision of the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures in 2004.

They are written to provide supporting information for the standard to which they refer and are not an official legal interpretation of the IPPC or its related documents, and are produced for public information purposes only.

Each document is written by an expert, reviewed by at least two peers (usually from the Expert Working Group concerned), then reviewed by the Standards Committee and the IPPC Secretariat. However, the material presented in explanatory documents remains the opinion of the writer and cannot be interpreted as a decision of the CPM.

This web page was last reviewed on 2022-07-19. For queries or comments regarding the contents of this page please contact [email protected].

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Title Files Publications date
ISPM 05 / Explanatory document "Annotated Glossary" revised in 2024 (by Beatriz Melcho, reviewed by the Technical Panel for the Glossary) En 22 Apr 2024
Guidance document: The composition and use of explanatory documents to International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures En 01 Jun 2004
ISPM 20 / Explanatory Document (by Alan Pemberton) En 01 Sep 2005
ISPM 20 / Explanatory Document - Appendix (by Alan Pemberton) En 01 Sep 2005
ISPM 17 / Explanatory Document (by Ian Smith) En 01 Oct 2005
ISPM 18 / Explanatory Document (by Guy Hallman) En 01 Jan 2006
ISPM 31 / Explanatory Document (by Carolyn F. Whyte) En 08 Sep 2009
ISPM 15 / Explanatory Document (by Shane Sela, lead author, Thomas Schroeder, Matsui Mamoru and Michael Ormsby); (French and Spanish translations by NAPPO) En Es Fr 10 Feb 2017

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