Technical panel reviewed diagnostic protocols and additions to work programme

Paris, 21 December 2023. The Technical Panel on Diagnostic Protocols (TPDP) met at the headquarters of the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) from 30 October to 3 November 2023 to revise two diagnostic protocols (DPs) to be approved by the Standards Committee (SC) on behalf of the e Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM).

The TPDP is tasked to develop international diagnostic protocols to support the detection and identification procedures worldwide. Harmonizing the protocols and processes contributes to greater transparency in the diagnostics for regulated pests and assists in resolving disputes between trading partners. As outlined by the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) Recommendation 7, accurate and rapid pest diagnosis underpins phytosanitary certification, import inspections and the application of appropriate phytosanitary measures. Moreover, early detection and accurate diagnosis can minimize the risk and impact of a pest outbreak. “Proper pest diagnosis is fundamental in successful pest outbreak containment or control strategies", added Dr Adriana Moreira, IPPC Secretariat and Standard Setting Deputy Team Lead.

The TPDP revised and recommended two DPs for the SC’s approval for consultation in January 2024, namely, Pospiviroid species (except Potato spindle tuber viroid (DP 7) and Heterobasidion annosum sensu lato, and revised in-depth the draft DP for Meloydogine mali, to be submitted for approval by the SC for the consultation period for DPs in July 2024. The panel also revised and addressed most of the comments from IPPC contracting parties and regional plant protection organizations on three draft DPs.

The TPDP reviewed the DPs’ proposals that were submitted through the 2023 IPPC Call for Topics and recommendations of the Task Force on Topics regarding the feasibility to develop international standards. These recommendations were forwarded to the IPPC Standards Committee.

The panel also discussed the SC’s concern on the quantity of comments and quality of DPs submitted for consultation and agreed to the IPPC Secretariat’s proposal of having two consultation periods and report the decision to the SC for consideration. The panel also discussed whether to increase the number of TPDP members and agreed to bring the discussion to the SC.

In addition to its regular tasks, the TPDP carried out an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis) to strategically address the panel's workflow. For instance, the panel highlighted the use of e-decision to speed up the decision-making process on long documents that would otherwise require several virtual meetings.

The EPPO representative provided a detailed update its work programme related to diagnostic protocols, emphasizing the parallels with the TPDP work programme. The coordinator of the European Phytosanitary Research Coordination (EUPHRESCO) provided updates on its research coordination activities which aim to coordinate research activities in line with the IPPC Strategic Framework development agenda item to establish a global phytosanitary research coordination.

The TPDP and the IPPC Secretariat representatives thanked EPPO for hosting the meeting.

The meeting report will be available in due course here.