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International standards and obligations
Contents
- What are international plant quarantine rules?
- How are international plant quarantine rules set?
- The Commission on Phytosanitary Measures
- Biosecurity Australia 's role in developing phytosanitary standards
- The standards and how Australia uses them
- The IPPC Secretariat homepage
What are international plant quarantine rules?
International rules are set out in agreements known as treaties. Often treaties set out general principles and allow members or signatories to the agreement to make specific sub-agreements or standards. Australia is a signatory to (ie. member of) a number of treaties in the area of plant quarantine.
The two agreements that relate most closely to plant quarantine are the
- WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (known as the WTO/SPS Agreement), and the
- IPPC (International Plant Protection Convention)
The major obligation on members (including Australia and most of our trading partners) under these treaties is not to restrict trade more than is necessary to maintain quarantine security.
Australia (and most of our trading partners) must use scientific principles in setting quarantine measures and follow relevant international standards.
The use of relevant international standards is not required in some clearly defined situations. These agreements also encourage Australia, and other developed country members, to provide technical assistance to developing countries.
As a signatory to these agreements, Australia stands to gain increased market access opportunities because specific import conditions must be removed if a scientific analysis shows that they are unnecessarily restricting trade.
Australia therefore has a way of arguing against import conditions that unfairly block access to new markets. International standards developed under the International Plant Protection Convention help build arguments against unjustified barriers as well as demonstrate that justified concerns of importing countries can be addressed.
How are international plant quarantine rules set?
The primary agreement that affects how Biosecurity Australia sets quarantine measures is the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (WTO/SPS Agreement).
As well as setting an international framework, this agreement requires members to adopt standards developed in most circumstances by particular bodies. The three specific bodies are the
- IPPC
- Codex Alimentarius, and
- OIE.
The IPPC is the body relevant to plant quarantine. There are ten phytosanitary standards in place and more are being developed.
The IPPC was set up under the Food Agriculture Organisation, and revised in 1997. Australia has adhered to these revisions, but until two thirds of parties have formally done this, an Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures is responsible for developing and approving International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures.
The Interim Commission has already begun streamlining the current complex process of developing and approving the new phytosanitary standards.
The current process requires a working group of phytosanitary experts from various countries to meet and discuss the issues and then prepare a draft standard for consideration by an annual meeting of the Interim Standard Committee.
Once approved by this committee the draft is sent to IPPC members for comment. When the Interim Standards Committee incorporates IPPC member comments, to the satisfaction of all members, it sends the draft standard to the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures for approval and for endorsment by FAO conference.
The Commission on Phytosanitary Measures
The Commission on Phytosanitary Measures will be the equivalent of the Codex Alimentarius Commission and OIE (the World Organization for Animal Health). It will provide the institutional capacity to accelerate work to implement the provisions of the International Plant Protection Convention and will give global recognition to developing International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures.
Biosecurity Australia 's role in developing phytosanitary standards
Biosecurity Australia has been closely involved in developing ISPM, and provided the draft standard which led to the approval of
- the fourth ISPM, the Requirements for the Establishment of Pest Free Areas, which foreshadowed the adoption of the WTO/SPS agreement.
Biosecurity Australia has also been represented on numerous working groups and one of its officers sits on the Interim Standards Committee.
The Australian Government's policy is that Biosecurity Australia should continue to take a lead role in developing international definitions, standards, rules and procedures related to quarantine, including
- risk analysis
- area freedom and
- market access arrangements.
The standards and how Australia uses them
The ISPM are available from the FAO website. Some of these standards are being revised and several more are being developed.
The Interim Commission has identified priority areas for standards development, and Australia is involved in developing the standards relating to pest risk analysis, pest eradication, new principles and inspection.
Australia’s heavy involvement in the standards setting process puts it in a good position to ensure that its plant policy and operations are aligned with the ISPM once they are approved. A good example of this is the risk analysis methodology Australia uses when it conducts an import risk analysis.
The import risk analysis process for plants and plant products includes a risk analysis that is clearly aligned to the pest risk analysis ISPM.
In undertaking risk analyses, Australia uses other ISPM as a basis for assessing requests for market access.
For example a prospective exporter to Australia may claim there is minimal risk from a particular pest because the production area is free. Australia assesses this request, using ISPM 4: Requirements for the Establishment of Pest Free Areas.
Australia also uses the ISPM in seeking to gain access to new markets for its plants and plant products.
There are a number of fruit production areas in south-eastern Australia that are free from fruit flies, which are of serious quarantine concern in several potential markets. Again, Australia uses the Requirements for the Establishment of Pest Free Areas ISPM as a basis for seeking acceptance of its claim of area freedom.
The IPPC Secretariat homepage
Please refer to the IPPC Secretariat homepage for information on the IPPC and related issues.