Determining host status for fruit flies is essential to facilitating international fruit trade

Rome, 28 January 2022. The Expert Working Group (EWG) for the Annex Criteria for the determination of host status of fruit to fruit flies based on available information convened their virtual meeting to draft an annex to the International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures n. 37 (ISPM 37) on Determination of host status of fruit to fruit flies (Tephritidae).

The IPPC international standards have been a basis for the application and harmonization of acceptable and technically justified measures applied in international trade. The ISPM 37 describes requirements for determining the host status of a particular fruit to an economically important Tephritidae fruit fly species and designates three categories of host status.

The intention of this annex is to promote consistent harmonization of terms used by risk analysts and the phytosanitary community with the ones defined in ISPM 37. It also provides guidance to evaluate criteria consistently when reviewing information and determining fruit fly host status in pest risk analysis.

Over the years, literature published on fruit fly host lists has challenged pest risk analysts uncertainty pertaining to these resources. The annex will be crucial to help prevent future trade challenges over whether National Plant Protection Organizations should regulate a particular product based on variable fruit fly host status.

The Annex developed by the EWG is planned to be presented to the Standards Committee (SC) in May where it will be considered for approval for first consultation from 1 July to 30 September 2022.

The meeting report of the EWG once ready, will be available at the following link: https://www.ippc.int/en/core-activities/standards-setting/expert-drafting-groups/expert-working-groups/