How a 'simple' IPPC search tool may help the phytosanitary treatments worldwide

Appreciating the challenges of exporting countries - especially those with lesser resources - to meet the many and varied phytosanitary import requirements, the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Secretariat has created an innovative phytosanitary treatment search tool. The tool allows for easy live searches among all treatments. Stakeholders can use the tool to search for specific pests, commodities, treatment types and will be able to sort treatments based on the country that accepts specific trade when a particular treatment has been applied. In brief, it will allow for the search and screening of treatment schedules for a specific commodity and pest combination, helping countries to quickly find treatments that fit their needs.

Which treatments are we talking about and where do they come from? The tool will include two main types of treatments: i) those agreed to internationally, adopted by the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) (as annexes of ISPM 28 on phytosanitary treatments for regulated pests), and ii) those countries use nationally, regionally or internationally. This latter type may include treatments that have been proven, historically, to be effective and which countries may therefore still accept.

The Technical Panel for Phytosanitary Treatments (TPPT) is mandated to evaluate treatments submitted by countries and regions to become CPM-adopted treatments. Furthermore, they also review and recommend other treatments used by countries, to be publicly available on the Phytosanitary Research Page. These can later be included in the phytosanitary treatment search tool. This review process will allow the tool to be populated with many national or regional treatments rapidly, and hereby serve its purpose of offering a wide range of commodity-treatment combinations.

The first version of the search tool is up and running now, containing the 31 treatments currently adopted by the CPM. Countries and regional plant protection organizations are encouraged to help populate the tool by submitting treatments that they think might be useful to other countries (see Call for treatments on www.ippc.int). It is an opportunity for countries to come together and demonstrate their solidarity, giving a good example of international cooperation at large, by sharing their knowledge and experiences, giving access to their treatments, through the gathering point that is the IPPC. This is how a simple search tool might just help save the world s plant resources from harmful pests.

Do you wish to know more or do you wish to contribute? Contact [email protected] for a talk.