Overview of legislations, regulations and guidelines governing biological control in the Pacific

Roy Masamdu & Warea OrapaBiosecurity &Trade support, and Plant Health Teams,Land Resources Division, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Suva, Fiji Islands.

IPPC

CBDSPS

International Regulatory Framework

CP

Protecting wild flora

Trade while protectingbiodiversity

Trade

LMOs

No more traderestrictive

than necessary LMOs identifiedas pests

ProtectingBiologicalDiversity

Plant Protection

Background on the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC)

• Convention signed by FAO member countries

• Objective – Foster safe movement of plant and plant products in international trade; prevent and or minimize transfer of pests with plant and plant products to new regions

• IPPC recognized by the World Trade Organization as one of the 3 international standard setting organizations – together with OIE (World Animal Health Organization and the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Food safety) for Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures

Pacific Region

• IPPC contracting parties: Australia, Cook Islands, FSM, Fiji, Niue, New Zealand, Palau, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu

• APPPC (Asia Pacific Plant Protection Commission) and PPPO (Pacific Plant Protection Organization)

• PPPO Secretariat is SPC

• Heads of Agriculture and or Quarantine of contracting parties meet in Rome annually to discuss and approve international standards.

• Draft standards drafted by Technical experts and discussed and reviewed in regional ISPM workshops and comments from individuals, groups in individual country

Existing legislations, regulations and guidelines

• Most existing legislations in PIC’s do not specify biological control procedures, etc in their legislations & regulations.

• The new revised biosecurity bill has sections on BCA’s; Cook Islands and Fiji have passed the bill.

• So meanwhile we use International and regional guidelines on biocontrol.

Existing International and regional guidelines

1. ISPM No:3 - Code of conduct for the import and release of exotic biological control agents (FAO, Rome, 1996)

2. Guidelines for biological control projects in the Pacific – Publication #57 SPC/ACIAR

3. ISPM No: 11 - Pest risk analysis for quarantine pests including analysis of environmental risks and living modified organisms

Existing International and regional guidelines

4. ISPM No 20: Guidelines for Phytosanitary import regulatory system

5. ISPM No: 21 - Guidelines for pest risk analysis for non regulated quarantine pests

6. ISPM No: 23 - Guidelines for inspections

1. International Standard on Phytosanitary Measure (ISPM 3) No:3 – Code of conduct for the import and release of exotic biological control agents (FAO, Rome, 1996)

– This is a legal document signed off by member countries of the FAO’s International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC)

– This plus other approved ISPMs can be found at: https://www.ippc.int in all UN languages.

Existing International and regional guidelines

ISPM 3: Code of conduct for the import and release of biological control agents

• 1. Objectives of the code

• 2. Designation of authority responsible

• 3. Responsibilities of authorities prior to import

• 4. Responsibilities of importer prior to import

• 5. Responsibilities of exporter prior to export

• 6. Responsibilities of authorities upon import

• 7. Responsibilities of authorities before and upon release

• 8. Responsibilities of importer after import and release

• 9. Observance of the Code

Outline of the code

• The Code is concerned with the importation of exotic biological

control agents capable of self-replication (e.g. parasitoids, predators, parasites, phytophagous arthropods and pathogens) for research, and field release of control agents used in biological control and those used as biological pesticides.

• Currently used formulations of live pathogens are included because they possess the potential for multiplication and persistence in the environment. Naturally occurring strains (genetically, if not morphologically distinct entities) of natural enemies may show notable differences in specificity and infectivity, for example strains of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), and if exotic, fall within the terms of reference of this Code.

• It is recognized that it may often be difficult to know whether the agent in a biological pesticide is exotic or not. For that reason many biological pesticides may have to be treated as though they were exotic.

• Thus the Code deals with:

- the import of exotic biological control agents for research,

- the import and release of exotic biological control agents for biocontrol,

- the import and release of exotic biological control agents for use as biological pesticides where those products incorporate organisms which can multiply.

• It does this by:

- identifying the three main groups involved in importing and releasing biological control agents: authorities (as the organizations representing government); exporters and importers;

- describing three responsibility phases of the process of import and release: the responsibilities of those involved before export; those before and upon importation; and those after importation.

ISPM 3 - Objectives

• Facilitate the safe import, export and release of exotic biological control agents by introducing procedures of an internationally acceptable level for all public and private entities involved, particularly where national legislation to regulate their use does not exist or is inadequate;

• Describe the shared responsibility of the many segments of society involved and the need for cooperation between importing and exporting countries so that:

- benefits to be derived are achieved without significant adverse effects,

- practices which ensure efficient and safe use while minimizing health and environmental concerns due to improper handling or use are promoted.

• Standards are described that:

– encourage responsible and generally accepted trade practices,

– assist countries to design regulations to control the suitability and quality of imported exotic biological control agents and to address the safe handling, assessment and use of such products;

– promote the safe use of biological control agents for the improvement of agriculture, and human, animal and plant health;

– allow all those involved in the import or release of exotic biological control agents to determine if, in the context of the International Plant Protection Convention and other relevant conventions and legislation, their proposed actions and the actions of others constitute acceptable practices.

1.2 Responsibilities are outlined for the entities which are addressed by this Code including governments, individually or in regional groupings; international organizations; research institutes; industry, including producers, trade associations,

and distributors; users; and public-sector organizations such as environmental groups, consumer groups and trade unions. All references in this Code to a government or governments shall be deemed to apply equally to regional groupings of governments for matters falling within their areas of competence.

– This is a step-by-step guide. It provides the procedures where biocontrol practitioners can use.

– There are 4 guidelines

2. Guidelines for biological control projects in the Pacific - SPC/ ACIAR Information Document No.57

Guideline 1: Steps in biological control programme

1. Selection of a suitable target pest

2. Preparation of a submission for national or donor support

3. Selection of suitable agents to introduce

4. Practical aspects of introduction

5. Evaluation of results

6. Further action

Guideline 2: Criteria for selection of projects

• Availability of natural enemies and origin of pests

• Costs of importing, rearing, release and monitoring. Availability of qualified and or experienced staff to carry out the activities

• Economic, social & cultural benefits - ie importance of crop, weed, etc to the country/territory including food security, cash income, trade, environmental, human health, etc

Guideline 3: Conflicts of interests in biological control

• Biological control of weeds eg usefulness

of plant, etc

• Biological control of arthropods

• Resolution of conflicts

• International conflicts of interests eg crossing on international borders by released agents

Guideline 4: Broad spectrum versus highly specific biological control

agents

• Effect on non target organisms

Existing legislations and regulations

• Existing and revised national biosecurity/ quarantine legislations in PICTs

– import regulatory system through issuance of a permit.

– pest risk analysis not an requirement in old legislations but is included in the revised biosecurity legislations.

– Pre-entry, border and post-entry measures to enable not only safe transportation but risks of importation of hyperparasites, entomopathogens and non host specific biocontrol agents for instance.

– Field release and monitoring requirements

– A draft ISPM standard titled: Design and operations of post entry quarantine stations will be tabled for approval next year by the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures.

– Biosecurity information facility –procedure manual for quarantine officers

– Revision of Biosecurity legislations

other activities by SPC

Thank you for your attention