Source: IPPC.
In March, Dr Gabrielle Vivian-Smith attended the seventeenth session of the International Plant Protection Convention’s (IPPC) Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM-17) in Rome. Dr Sophie Peterson also attended in her capacity as Chair of the IPPC Standards Committee. More than 360 participants from 120 Countries and 16 observer organisations (including industry) attended CPM-17.
The meeting adopted revisions to four International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) covering import authorizations, irradiation as a phytosanitary measure, phytosanitary treatments for Jack Beardsley mealybug and the glossary of terms.
Dr Vivian-Smith also presented the IPPC Communications Strategy 2023-2030 for adoption at the meeting. This will guide the IPPC and plant health community as they continue to raise awareness and mobilise collaboration of plant health issues.
Other outcomes important to Australia and the South-West Pacific region include:
- A revised CPM Recommendation on sea container cleanliness will be circulated for country consultation during this year’s standard consultation round, beginning July 1.
- A second workshop on pest risk mitigation of sea containers will be held in Brisbane in July. This workshop will bring industry and contracting parties together to explore feedback on the CPM recommendation and insights into the impact of contaminant reduction measures on logistics.
- The meeting heard an update on electronic phytosanitary certification (ePhyto) activities. A total of 122 countries use the IPPC’s ePhyto system (GeNS) and more countries are currently trialling their ePhyto capability, making ePhyto a global success story.
The CPM Focus Group on Sustainable Funding outlined future funding options for ePhyto. Initial discussions have considered support for the funding model be based on a country’s development status i.e., developed countries funding a greater share.
