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Australian International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Secretariat
If you are looking to comment on draft ISPMs, or have a query in relation to Australia, the IPPC and its processes, then contact the Australian IPPC Secretariat.
The role of the Australian IPPC Secretariat
The Australian IPPC Secretariat coordinates all IPPC activities in Australia, including consultation on draft ISPMs.
The Secretariat aims to ensure that the international plant health standards developed through the IPPC are appropriate, effective and consistent with Australia's trading goals.
The Australian IPPC Secretariat has been established in the Office of the Chief Plant Protection Officer. The Chief Plant Protection Officer is the official IPPC contact point for Australia.
International Plant Protection Convention
The IPPC is a multilateral treaty for cooperation in plant health and protection under the auspices of the FAO. The IPPC addresses plant health protection by the establishment and use of international standards to meet phytosanitary needs.
The Convention recognises countries right to use phytosanitary measures to regulate imports of plants, plant products and objects that may harbour plant pests. Parties to the IPPC have obligations to comply with the Convention’s principles of necessity, technical justification and transparency in regulating imports.
Over 160 countries are parties to the Convention. Benefits to parties include international trade agreements, standard setting, technical assistance and information exchange.
The International Plant Protection Convention text 
PDF [66kb] was revised in 1997 and entered into force in October 2005.
The official website for the IPPC is the International Phytosanitary Portal.
Commission on Phytosanitary Measures
The CPM is the governing body for the IPPC. Following entry into force of the revised International Plant Protection Convention text, it held its first meeting in April 2006. The meeting established the rules and procedures for the CPM and its subsidiary bodies, including the Standards Committee. The meeting also adopted three new standards and revisions to two others.
International Standards for Phytosanitary Meaures
ISPMs are developed through an agreed and defined process of draft development and member consultation.
The IPPC and the WTO Agreement on the Application of Phytosanitary and Sanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) provide the legal framework under which the ISPMs are developed.
Although the IPPC is a legally binding international agreement, the standards developed and adopted by the Convention are not. However, WTO members are required to base their phytosanitary measures on international standards developed within the framework of the IPPC.
Phytosanitary measures that conform to the ISPMs are presumed to be consistent with the relevant provisions of the SPS Agreement.
Measures that deviate from international standards, or measures that exist in the absence of international standards, must be developed through the assessment of the risk to plant life or health and must be based on scientific principles and evidence.
Emergency (or provisional) measures may be taken without such analyses, but must be reviewed for their scientific justification and modified accordingly to be legitimately maintained.
More information on ISPMs can be found at:
- International Standards and Obligations
- Established International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures
- List of adopted ISPMs
Word [57kb] - Draft International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures
- Wood packaging certification scheme for Australian exports (ISPM 15)
IPPC Workshops
The next IPPC Standards Setting Workshop will be held in Brisbane on 7 August 2008.
Download the:
- Workshop information flyer Word [39kb]
- Draft agenda for the workshop Word [40kb]
Contact the Australian IPPC Secretariat
Julia Rymer (Executive Officer)
Australian IPPC Secretariat
Telephone: +61 2 6272 4837
Facsimile: +61 2 6272 5835
Postal Address:
Office of the Chief Plant Protection Officer
Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
GPO Box 858
Canberra ACT 2601
