Introduction to the International Plant Protection
Convention and its Standard Setting Process
Name of Presenter:
Rajesh Ramarathnam and Dominique Pelletier
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
RDIMS # 5761523
© 2011 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada
(Canadian Food Inspection Agency), all rights reserved. Use without permission is prohibited.
What is the IPPC?
• Recognized as the international
standard setting organization for
plant health under the WTO SPS
Agreement
• An international treaty, deposited
with the FAO, that binds
contracting parties to the
obligations of the Convention
• Currently 182 signatory countries
to the IPPC
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Aim of the IPPC
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Prevent introduction and spread of pests
• Pest: Any species, strain or biotype of plant, animal, or
pathogenic agent injurious to plants or plant products (ISPM
5: Glossary of Phytosanitary Terms)
•
Covers a wide range of plants & aims at protecting them
from a wide range of pests
• Plants: cultivated plants and wild flora
• Plant pests: invertebrates, diseases and weeds
• Harm: includes direct and indirect effects
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Extends to items capable of harbouring or spreading
pests, such as:
• Conveyances and storage places
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Aim of the IPPC (cont’d)
• Includes intentional introduction of
organisms, such as:
• Biological control organisms
• Research, industrial or other organisms
• By protecting plant resources from pests, the IPPC
helps protect:
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Farmers from economically devastating pest outbreaks
Food security
Environment from loss of biological diversity
Ecosystems from loss of viability and function
Cultivated and wild plants from spread of pests resulting from
climate changes
Industries and consumers from costs of pest control or
eradication
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Key principles
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Sovereignty to prescribe and apply phytosanitary measures
that meet the principles of:
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Plant protection & safe trade
Necessity
Managed risk
All types of plants
Transparent
Minimal impact
Justified
Transparency
All types of pests
Harmonization
Consistent with the
Non-discrimination
level of risk
Technical justification Other pathways
Cooperation
Equivalence of phytosanitary measures
Modification
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Obligations
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Establishment of a National Plant
Protection Organization (NPPO) to:
• Regulate imports
• Publish phytosanitary requirements
• Conduct surveillance, treatments
and certify exports
• Issue phytosanitary certificates
• Share information on pests
and regulations
• Notify trading partners of
non-compliance
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The IPPC in Canada
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CFIA is the NPPO for Canada
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IPPC Official Contact Point for Canada: Marie-Claude Forest
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Canada’s IPPC Secretariat under Chief Plant Health Officer
(CPHO) – Darlene Blair:
• Leads GoC active participation at CPM, including coordinating
intra-agency, and interdepartmental, provincial and stakeholder
consultation on proposed standards and strategic IPPC issues
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Trade Policy Division provides active support, in particular with
respect to strategic issues
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Commission on
Phytosanitary Measures
(CPM)
•
Governing body for the IPPC
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Works by consensus
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Reviews global plant protection
needs and sets the annual work programme
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Develops and adopts International Standards for
Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs)
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Promotes technical assistance and information exchange
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Provides dispute settlement mechanisms as required
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Standard setting
• Standards Committee (SC)
• Subsidiary Body of the IPPC
• Oversees the standard-setting process
• Manages the development of ISPMs
• Provides guidance to technical panels and expert drafting groups
• 25 members from the 7 FAO regions
ISPMs:
• Provide guidance to member countries in implementing national programs
and fulfilling requirements of the IPPC
• May be conceptual or pest/commodity specific
• Currently 37 ISPMs
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Standards Committee
25 members from 7 FAO regions
North America (2)
Europe (4)
Near East (4)
Asia (4)
Africa (4)
Latin America &
Caribbean (4)
Southwest
Pacific (3)
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ISPMs: binding or not?
• WTO members should base their phytosanitary measures on international
standards developed within the framework of the IPPC.
• Measures conforming to ISPMs are presumed to be consistent with the
SPS agreement.
• Measures deviating from international standards must be justified through
pest risk assessments and be based on scientific principles and evidence.
• IPPC includes dispute settlement provisions where measures are
challenged as unjustified barriers to trade.
The IPPC is a legally binding international agreement - ISPMs become
binding once incorporated in national legislation.
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The IPPC Standard Setting Process
Stage
1
• Developing
the List of
Topics
Stage
2
• Drafting
Stage
3
• Consultation
and review
of draft
ISPMs
Stage
4
• Adoption
and
Publication
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Consultation Period
Consultation on draft specifications (60 days, June-July)
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CPM adopts IPPC list of topics and draft specifications
SC reviews and approves specifications for consultation
First Consultation on draft ISPMs (90 days, July-September)
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ISPMs drafted according to specifications
SC reviews and approves draft ISPMs for consultation
Second Consultation on draft ISPMs (90 days, July-September)
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SC-7 revises drafts and recommends for consultation
Draft presented to SC meeting in November, adoption
recommended or not
Drafts presented for adoption at CPM -> subject to formal
objections only
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New Online Comment System (OCS)
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Provides a simple, effective, user-friendly system that NPPOs, Regional
Plant Protection Organizations and International Organizations can use
to submit comments on draft ISPMs to the IPPC Secretariat
Launched July 1, 2016
Benefits:
• Easy sharing of comments
• Easy to edit comments and provide
explanation
• Accelerates compilation of comments
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Three types of users:
• OCS Manager
• OCS Deputy
• Reviewer
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Why are consultations so important?
Opportunity to influence direction and content of an ISPM:
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Scope and content of the draft ISPM
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specification should reflect what members want the ISPM to cover
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Opportunity to consult national stakeholders likely to be impacted
by an ISPM
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All levels of involvement
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Collection of experts’ opinions
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from producer to regulatory level
regulators, industry, other agencies, academics, scientists
Hands on experience
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real life issues taken into consideration
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2016 First consultation on draft ISPMs
(July 1st- September 30th)
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Draft 2016 Amendments to ISPM 5 (1994-001)
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Draft ISPM: Requirements for the use of temperature treatments
as phytosanitary measures (2014-005)
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Draft revision of ISPM 6: National surveillance systems (2009-004)
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Draft Annexes to ISPM 27: Diagnostic protocols for regulated
pests
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Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (2013-001)
Phytophthora ramorum (2004-013)
Fusarium circinatum (2006-021)
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2016 Second consultation on draft ISPMs
(July 1st- September 30th)
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Draft Annex to ISPM 20 – Arrangements for the verification of
compliance of consignments by the importing country in the
exporting country (2005-003)
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Draft ISPM: International movement of seeds (2009-003)
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Draft ISPM: International movement of vehicles, machinery and
equipment (2006-004)
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Draft ISPM: International movement of wood (2006-029)
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Draft ISPM: International movement of growing media in
association with plants for planting (2005-004)
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Notification Period for Diagnostic Protocols
(July 1st- August 15th)
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45 days to review the DP and submit an objection, if any.
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An objection should be a technically supported objection to the
adoption of the approved diagnostic protocol in its current form.
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If no objection is received, the SC, on behalf of the CPM, adopts
the DP.
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Diagnostic protocols
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Aphelenchoides besseyi, A. ritzemabosi and A. fragariae (2006-025)
Citrus tristeza virus (2004-021)
Erwinia amylovora (2004-009)
Genus Liriomyza (2006-017)
Xanthomonas fragariae (2004-012)
Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), Impatiens necrotic spot virus
(INSV) and Watermelon silver mottle virus (WSMoV) (2004-019)
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Next steps
• First Consultation: Steward to review comments, prepare response
and revise draft ISPM.
• May 2017 SC-7 (or technical panel) to revise and approve draft
ISPMs for Second Consultation (July - September 2017)
• Second Consultation: Steward to review concerns, prepare
response and revise draft ISPM
• November 2016 SC to revise draft ISPMs and recommend for
adoption at CPM-12 (2017)
• Draft ISPMs subject to formal objection period (14 days prior to
CPM)
• Potential adoption at CPM-12 (2017)
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Current IPPC issues of importance
for Canada
• Issues related to the implementation of the IPPC and its
standards
• Issues related to national reporting obligations
• Development of a draft ISPM on International Movement of
Grains
• Concept of commodity standards
• Next steps on minimizing pest movement by sea containers
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Benefits for Canada to be involved in the
IPPC
• Influencing the development of standards and the IPPC strategic
directions to reflect Canada’s priorities and values.
• Developing/enhancing relationships and alliances with regulatory
counterparts around the world.
• Canadian expertise influences international and regional standards
• Canada is well respected in international community for expertise,
non-partisan approach, and consensus building opportunities to lead
or contribute to standard development and capacity building
• Canadian input:
• Country consultation on draft specifications or standards
• Positions put forward during CPM and SC meetings
• North American comments during IPPC process (through the North
American Plant Protection Organization (NAPPO))
• NAPPO standards set patterns for IPPC standards (e.g. ISPM 15)
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Consultative process
• Important that all stakeholders have an opportunity to input in
the development of Canadian positions
• Maximum involvement from all parties provides a better pool of
expertise upon which to draw in drafting Canadian positions
• Positions developed from a broader base of knowledge and
experience facilitates strengthening Canada’s influence in the
elaboration of standards
• International Phytosanitary Standards Section responsible for
coordinating the consultative process
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Consultative process (cont’d)
• Consultation with the following:
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Internal consultation (e.g. International Coordination Committee)
Other Federal Government Departments
Other levels of Government (e.g. Provinces, Territories)
Consumer Groups
Industry Associations
Academia
• Comments received are considered by the Canadian
Standards Committee member
• Draft positions prepared collaboratively with members of the
delegation taking into consideration comments received from
stakeholders
• Draft position shared interdepartmentally (or broader)
• Canadian position presented at the Standards Committee
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Regional Plant Protection Organizations
(RPPOs)
• Article IX of the IPPC encourages cooperation among
contracting parties of a region by the establishment of RPPOs
• RPPOs are the coordinating bodies contributing to:
• Coordination and participation in activities among NPPOs within a
region in order to promote and achieve the objectives of the IPPC
• Cooperation among regions for promoting harmonized phytosanitary
measures
• Gathering and dissemination of information, in particular in relation
with the IPPC
• Currently 9 RPPOs including:
• European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO)
• Asia and Pacific Plant Protection Commission (APPPC)
• Comite de Sanidad Vegetal del Cono Sur (COSAVE)
• North American Plant Protection Organization (NAPPO)
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NAPPO
• Canada, United States and Mexico
• Provide a forum for private and public sectors
• Collaborate in the development of science-based regional plant
health standards
• NAPPO activities:
• Development of regional standards, diagnostic and treatment protocols
• International workshops
• International movement of grain, Christmas trees, Asian gypsy moth
• Pest alerts (pest reporting)
• NAPPO position on international phytosanitary issues
• Regional input to IPPC work programme, standards, and dispute
settlement process
Consensus building between Canada, U.S. & Mexico
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Questions?
www.ippc.int
www.NAPPO.org
Twitter account
@ACIA_Canada/@CFIA_Canada
Or contact one of us!
Thank you!!
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