The Phytosanitary Measures Research Group (PMRG) was initially established at the Expert Consultation on Cold Treatments (ECCT) in December 2013 as the Phytosanitary Temperature Treatment Expert Group (PTTEG). During 2015 the PTTEG advanced several phytosanitary assignments and had its first meeting in Nelspruit, South Africa, at which the name was changed to reflect the broadened scope of the group. This independent group is now named Phytosanitary Measures Research Group (PMRG): a forum where critical phytosanitary treatment issues can be addressed through discussion and collaborative research.

The mission of the PMRG is to “Harmonize research on phytosanitary treatments and other measures with application to international trade of horticultural commodities to support IPPC Technical Panels, plant protection organizations, and researchers.”

The main functions of the group are:

a) Liaise with the TPPT to support the development of international phytosanitary treatments to be considered and approved by the Standards Committee.

b) Serve as a forum for discussion, information exchange, and clarification of key scientific issues related to phytosanitary treatment application in global trade

c) Provide scientific analysis and review of global phytosanitary treatment issues and new information.

d) Identify and undertake collaborative scientific research aimed at high priority phytosanitary treatments.

e) Liaise with the International Forestry Quarantine Research Group (IFQRG) to avoid duplication.

The group draws its membership from the scientific and research community, and the phytosanitary regulatory community. The PMRG currently has about 83 active members from 28 countries collaborating on research and analysis addressing phytosanitary issues.

A summary of activities can be found in the PMRG (and PTTEG) meeting reports provided below, together with the terms of reference of the PMRG. A series of new research areas was identified and discussed at the first meeting of the PMRG in 2015. These research areas include establishing databases for other treatments besides cold, developing commercially viable temperature-controlled atmosphere treatments, exploring modelling of treatments, phytosanitary systems, determining alternative to acute mortality endpoints for treatment efficacy, treatment of mixed loads, and novel treatment technologies.

The entire IPPC community, with its national and regional plant protection organizations are welcomed to contact and utilize the expertise offered by the PMRG. The PMRG is to continue to help and to contribute to the work of the IPPC technical panels and Standards Committee to help protect plant health on a global scale. The PMRG is ready to contribute to the development of phytosanitary measures, to wide up the options to countries to boost safe trade and to protect the environment, and to help enhance countries capacities. 

The next PMRG meeting, scheduled for the 21-25 September 2020 in Rome, Italy is cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope to continue the important work on phytosnitary treatments in the meantime and meet again in 2021.

If you are a researcher or regulator working in the area of phytosanitary treatments and want to be included in the group mailing list, please contact Dave Nendick ([email protected]).

 PMRG Executive Committee (2017-2021):

• Chairperson: Mr Peter LEACH (Australia and TPPT member)
• Secretary: Mr Dave NENDICK (New Zealand)
• Operations Coordinator: Mr Vaughan HATTINGH (South Africa)
• Research Coordinator: Mr Scott MYERS (USA and TPPT member)