Facts or friction: the evolving role of science in phytosanitary issues

Abstract

With the expansion of global trade, problems with invasive alien pests have also grown. In order to reduce the international movement of plant pests and protect valuable plant resources, national plant protection regulations and international standards continue to be developed. Science is critical to the development of effective national and international plant protection regulations aimed at reducing the spread of plant pests. There is an increasing recognition that such regulations be ?science-based? as identified in the World Trade Organization Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (WTO-SPS) agreement. This need is clearly recognized by the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM), the governing body of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). The CPM has established expert working groups and technical panels with scientific capacity to support the development of international phytosanitary standards. Science is valuable to plant health regulators as it is a useful tool to identify and address plant pest problems, and is often used in ?technical justification? required in domestic and international trade disputes.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings of the sudden oak death third science symposium

Citation

Allen, Eric. 2008. Facts or friction: the evolving role of science in phytosanitary issues. In: Frankel, Susan J.; Kliejunas, John T.; Palmieri, Katharine M., tech. coords. 2008. Proceedings of the sudden oak death third science symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-214. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. p. 131