10 June 2011: The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) has released the report of its latest Standards Committee meeting. The meeting considered a list of draft International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) for expert drafting groups; specifications for the review of IPPC member comments on existing ISPMs; and review of technical panels, among other topics.

Held from 2-6 May 2011, at FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy, the Standards Committee addressed a number of items arising from the last session of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) and other relevant bodies, as well as standing items on the Committee’s agenda.

Following up on a request by the CPM, delegates developed a proposal for reprioritizing topics for ISPMs based on criteria, such as their relation to the IPPC’s strategic objectives and their relevance to international phytosanitary issues. The proposal suggested deleting some items addressing national issues. The proposal will be further considered at the CPM’s next session.

The Committee also reviewed draft ISPMs submitted by expert drafting groups, including on: pest risk analysis for plants as quarantine pests; regulation of wood packaging material in international trade; a protocol to determine host status of fruits and vegetables to fruit fly infestations; phytosanitary pre-import clearance; import of germplasm; and movement of growing media in association with plants for planting in international trade.

On the review of IPPC member comments on existing ISPMs, the Committee considered specifications for review on, among other issues: establishment and maintenance of fruit fly regulated areas in the event of outbreak detection in pest free areas for fruit flies; international movement of seed; framework for national phytosanitary inspection procedures; minimizing the risk of quarantine pests associated with stored products in international trade; systems for authorizing phytosanitary activities; and safe handling and disposal of waste with potential pest risk generated during international voyages.

Furthermore, the Committee reviewed technical panels on diagnostic protocols, pest free areas and systems approaches for fruit flies, phytosanitary treatments, forest quarantine and the phytosanitary glossary. [Report of IPPC Standards Committee]