Action against pest spread—the case for retrospective analysis with a focus on timing

One of the major threats to plant production and food security is the spread of plant pests and pathogens to new areas where there is neither resistance in the host plants nor natural enemies to keep the new arrival in check. There is a general view in the regulatory plant health community, at least in the region served by the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO), that measures to prevent or slow the spread of new pests are not implemented as quickly as they should be. This paper presents some past pest outbreaks where a delay in action may have led to significant increases in costs. It goes on to suggest that retrospective modelling could be used to test the theory that delays have led to suboptimal use of resources and to quantify the consequences. The paper concludes by identifying some ways in which the timing of measures might be improved.     

An overview of the current plant biostimulant legislations in different European Member States

Plant biostimulants are borderline substances that play an intermediate role between plant protection products and fertilisers. At present, such substances are regulated by national laws and have different names in the various European Member States. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview on the activity of these substances and on the national laws that regulate them, as they vary considerably from one Member State to another. The greatest difficulty in terms of the correct regulatory framework for these substances is related to their heterogeneity. This situation creates uncertainties for operators, control authorities and bodies that certify and control the organic production, and strongly limits the growth of these substances. This problem will be overcome with the amendment of Regulation EC No 2003/2003 which will shortly extend its scope to the category of plant biostimulants included within the fertilising additives. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry     

Biosecurity and food security—effective mechanisms for public-private partnerships

Maintaining Australia’s status as a major food exporter requires ongoing protection of its cropping industries from exotic pests and diseases. The number of pests classified as high priority threats to Australia’s plant industries now stands at over 300 (Plant Health Australia Annual Report 2014). It is often stated that Australia’s geographic isolation provides a natural barrier from many exotic pests that could damage plant production industries and the unique natural environment. Isolation, however, is not enough given that pests can enter through natural means or by being brought into the country with the increasing movements of people and goods. In an increasingly globalised world economy, Australia relies on a rigorous biosecurity system operated in partnership between governments and industry to mitigate risks from exotic pests. Steadily increasing trade volumes and passenger travel, global movements of serious pests, particularly into neighbouring countries, and the emergence of new and variant species of pests, will continue to test already stretched biosecurity capabilities. Plant Health Australia (PHA) provides the centrepiece of a unique system that manages the national preparedness and response for exotic plant pest incursions in Australia. PHA is a public company that facilitates decision making and funding for effective responses to emergency plant pests. PHA also independently advocates and adds value to, Australia’s national biosecurity system. Utilising the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed (EPPRD), a legal agreement that brings together governments and industries in formal response arrangements, PHA ensures that national incursion responses are timely, science based, transparent and effective, with the aim of maintaining supply of quality clean food.     

食用橄榄油贸易促进组织 ——国际橄榄理事会解析

《国际橄榄油和食用橄榄协定》是由联合国主持在橄榄油主要生产国与消费国之间签订的国际商品协定。从1959年到2015年历经五次改版,根据该协议成立的“国际橄榄理事会”（International Olive Council,IOC）总部驻地在橄榄油最大出口国西班牙首都马德里。国际橄榄理事会由成员理事会管理,下设执行秘书处和分委员会负责行业标准制定、国际橄榄油贸易信息统计、橄榄行业推广等事宜。IOC橄榄油贸易标准对初榨橄榄油质量指标的等级界定获得世界普遍认可。对IOC制定的橄榄油各项理化指标和感官分析的测定依据和具体方法进行归纳,并对IOC橄榄油认可实验室进行介绍,以上内容是橄榄油产业融入国际大循环应了解的国际通行基础性贸易约定。     

Linking science and policy to better protect Canada from plant pests

Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) is a science-based process for determining the likelihood and magnitude of pest risks and evaluating options for mitigating them. Pest Risk Analysis is used by national plant protection organizations (NPPOs) to support phytosanitary decision-making. The design of a PRA process reflects an NPPO’s policy on risk, whereas the content or data that informs the PRA process is a reflection of its use of science. A well-designed and implemented PRA process can serve as a bridge between science and policy and inform decision-making. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has undertaken steps to integrate its pest risk assessment and pest risk management processes in ways that improve efficiency and transparency while continuing to preserve the scientific integrity of the science advice under-pinning the design of its plant protection programs.     

The use of indigenous ecological resources for pest control in Africa

Reducing the losses from crop pests will help to increase food availability and boost economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, the existing crop protection paradigm that relies on synthetic agrochemical pesticides has had only a marginal impact on the productivity of many poor smallholder farmers who constitute a major segment of agriculture in SSA. This is primarily because many of them are not able to afford or access these imported chemicals. A solution to this crop protection problem may be to harness biological resources that are locally available, such as endemic insect natural enemies and indigenous pesticidal plant materials. Two specific examples of this already under development in Africa are the use of the pesticidal plant, Tephrosia vogelii, and the harvesting of the endemic insect baculovirus, Spodoptera exempta nucleopolyhedrovirus (SpexNPV). Both of these can be produced locally and have shown promise in trials as inexpensive and effective tools for pest control in Africa and their use is currently being scaled up and evaluated by African networks of researchers. A focus on these systems illustrates the potential for using locally-available natural resources for improved crop protection in Africa. The consideration of these pesticidal plants and insect natural enemies in the wider context of natural capital that provide valuable ecosystem services (including pest control), will facilitate greater recognition of their true economic and societal worth. While both of these model systems show promise, there are also very significant challenges to be overcome in developing production, supply and marketing systems that are economically viable and sustainable. The regulatory environment must also evolve to accommodate and facilitate the registration of new products and the establishment of appropriate supply chains that share the benefits of these resources equitably with the local communities from which they are harvested.     

储粮害虫生物防治技术研究进展

由于长期使用化学杀虫剂防治储粮害虫，使其产生严重的抗药性，且污染环境。介绍储藏中的常见虫害及其造成的损失，根据粮食储藏绿色、环保、安全的要求，探讨粮食储藏过程中针对储粮害虫的生物防治技术，综述在稻谷储藏中关于昆虫生长调节剂、信息素、微生物源物质、植物及植物提取物等生物防治技术的应用研究进展，以期开拓储粮害虫防治思路，减少或避免储粮害虫造成的损失，为未来研究储粮害虫防治技术提供参考。     

Options for managing the infectious animal and plant disease risks of international trade

Infectious animal and plant diseases introduced through international trade in goods and services are a classic example of market externality. The potential harm they do is visited on people other than those engaged in their export or import, and is not taken into account in reaching export or import decisions. The use of economic instruments to internalize market externalities has been shown to yield substantial benefits in many areas of economic activity. By confronting decision-makers with the expected damage they cause, instruments of this kind have forced decision-makers to take the wider costs of their actions into account. This paper reviews the arguments for extending the range of instruments currently used to manage trade-related pest and pathogen risks, and assesses the options for deploying new instruments in the existing regulatory environment.     

International trade agreements: a threat to tobacco control policy

International covenants establish a role for governments in ensuring the conditions for human health and wellbeing, which has been recognised as a central human right. International trade agreements, conversely, prioritize the rights of corporations over health and human rights. International trade agreements are threatening existing tobacco control policies and restrict the possibility of implementing new controls. This situation is unrecognised by many tobacco control advocates in signatory nations, especially those in developing countries. Recent agreements on eliminating various trade restrictions, including those on tobacco, have expanded far beyond simply international movement of goods to include internal tobacco distribution regulations and intellectual property rules regulating advertising and labelling. Our analysis shows that to the extent trade agreements protect the tobacco industry, in itself a deadly enterprise, they erode human rights principles and contribute to ill health. The tobacco industry has used trade policy to undermine effective barriers to tobacco importation. Trade negotiations provide an unwarranted opportunity for the tobacco industry to assert its interests without public scrutiny. Trade agreements provide the industry with additional tools to obstruct control policies in both developed and developing countries and at every level. The health community should become involved in reversing these trends, and help promote additional measures to protect public health.     

植物精油对储藏物害虫防治作用的研究进展

植物精油属于芳香型植物次生代谢产物,从植物的种子、果实、根和叶片中提取,通过压榨或蒸馏等方式获得。植物精油成分复杂,一般包括醇醛类、酸类、酚类、丙酮类、萜烯类等。其用途及应用范围广泛,涉及日化、食品、医疗等行业,近年来应用于农业害虫防治领域的报道逐年增多。植物源杀虫剂相比于化学防虫优势明显,可克服化学杀虫剂造成的环境污染和害虫产生抗药性等诸多弊端。本文综述了植物精油在农业、食品、医疗、日化等行业中的应用现状,总结了部分精油提取技术的优缺点,重点关注植物精油及其制剂在仓储害虫防治领域的应用,通过精油对害虫的驱避、熏蒸、触杀、产卵抑制、种群抑制等方面的研究,以期为开发新型的绿色防虫剂提供参考和理论依据。     

The Effect of Gamma Irradiation as a Phytosanitary Treatment on Physicochemical and Sensory Properties of Bartlett Pears

A major concern in exporting agricultural commodities is the introduction or spread of exotic quarantine pests to the new area. To prevent spread of insect pests, various phytosanitary measures are used. Worldwide commercial use of irradiation as a phytosanitary treatment has increased greatly in recent years; however, trade has been limited to tropical fruits. Bartlett pear is a major summer variety of California pears with great potential and market for export. In this study, the effect of gamma irradiation at dose levels of 400, 600, and 800 Gy on physicochemical properties and sensory attributes of early and late harvest Bartlett pears was investigated. Firmness and color changes indicate that irradiation delayed the ripening of pears by 1 d. For the early harvest pears, scarring, bruising, and off flavor were significantly increased at the highest irradiation dose (800 Gy). The appearance of early harvest 800 Gy irradiated pears was the only attribute that received significantly (P ≤ 0.05) lower scores than the control in consumer testing. For the late harvest pears, the 400 Gy fruit had lowest levels of scarring and bruising as rated by trained panelist but consumers did not score the control and 800 Gy fruit differently for any attribute. Titratable acidity, total soluble solids, and chroma were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) decreased and hue increased by irradiation for the early harvest pears. These results suggest that there was a difference in radiotolerance of early and late harvest pears, but in both cases, irradiation at 400 to 600 Gy seemed to maintain best quality.     

Phytosanitary Applications of Irradiation

Abstract: Phytosanitary treatments are used to disinfest agricultural commodities of quarantine pests so that the commodities can be shipped out of quarantined areas. Ionizing irradiation is a promising phytosanitary treatment that is increasing in use worldwide. Almost 19000 metric tons of sweet potatoes and several fruits plus a small amount of curry leaf are irradiated each year in 6 countries, including the United States, to control a number of plant quarantine pests. Advantages over other treatments include tolerance by most fresh commodities, ability to treat in the final packaging and in pallet loads, and absence of pesticide residues. Disadvantages include lack of acceptance by the organic food industries and logistical bottlenecks resulting from current limited availability of the technology. A regulatory disadvantage is lack of an independent verification of treatment efficacy because pests may be found alive during commodity inspection, although they will not complete development or reproduce. For phytosanitary treatments besides irradiation, the pests die shortly after the treatment is concluded. This disadvantage does not hamper its use by industry, but rather makes the treatment more difficult to develop and regulate. Challenges to increase the use of phytosanitary irradiation (PI) are cost, because commercial use has not yet reached an optimum economy of scale, lack of facilities, because of their cost and current inability to feasibly locate them in packing facilities, lack of approved treatments for some quarantine pests, and concern about the process by key decision makers, such as packers, shippers, and retailers. Methods for overcoming these challenges are discussed.     

The precautionary principle and other non-tariff barriers to free and fair international food trade

International food trade and world population are growing rapidly. National legislation has been enacted and implemented in many countries to assure good quality and safe foods to meet increased demand. No country is fully self-sufficient in domestic food production to meet population demands, and all require some food imports. Current international food trade agreements call for free and fair food trade between all countries, developed and developing. National food legislation and food production, processing and marketing systems have evolved in most countries to ensure better quality and safer foods. At the international level the work of the FAO/ WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) and the World Trade Organization Agreements on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and related Uruguay Round agreements have been agreed to by over 140 countries with the aim to promoting the free and fair trade of good quality and safe foods between all countries. The SPS and TBT agreements rely on science-based Codex standards, guidelines, and recommendations as benchmarks for judging international food trade disputes. A number of non-tariff barriers to trade, often related to agricultural subsidies and other food trade payments in developed countries, continue to give rise to complaints to WTO. They also continue to prevent free and fair trade, particularly for developing countries in international food trade. A number of these non-tariff barriers to trade are briefly examined, along with other domestic and international food trade problems, and recommendations for improvements are made.     

Managing risks from pests in global commodity networks – policy perspectives

Up to 80 % of global commodity production comes from smallholdings of less than 0.5 ha. Yet commodity crops may be a substantial proportion of a country’s exports, and feed into global supply networks. Pest risks thus have consequences at local, national and global levels. We consider three categories of risk in global commodity networks: introduction of pests to new areas, upsurges of established pests and the risks arising from management efforts. In each category we provide case studies and examples, and consider policy options. Increased travel, trade and transport increase the risks of introduction. Commodity specific biosecurity plans are required for preventing introductions, including analysis of the specific risks (pest pathways) and preparation of emergency responses. Regional and international cooperation is essential. Upsurges can be caused by crop management, evolution of new strains, and environment change. National systems must be responsive to detect problems and address them quickly. Capacity building for surveillance and diagnostics, and the development and dissemination of integrated pest management methods are needed. Investment in research and extension for the agricultural sector is vital. Risks linked with management efforts, specifically, the risk from agrochemicals are considered. Concerns in developed countries over food safety and environmental damage can place constraints on pest management. Failure to comply leads to loss of markets and buyer confidence. Policies that favour lower-risk pest management methods are needed, but are often lacking.     

How can China prepare for the domestic cultivation of Bt maize?

Recent documents issued by the State Council of China indicate that China's central government is paving the way to commercial cultivation of genetically engineered (GE) staple crops, with priority on insect-resistant GE (IRGE) maize expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) proteins. Multiple Bt maize lines have been developed in China, and their efficacy and benefits to human health and the environment have been demonstrated. We here consider issues regarding approval of GE lines for international trade, measures to be taken to ensure harmonious co-production of GE and non-GE crops, and management of evolution of Bt resistance in maize pests that should be addressed before commercialization of Bt maize in China.     

Food legislation and its harmonization in Russia

Bringing Russian legislation into compliance with international norms and standards is necessary after its accession to the World Trade Organization. Harmonization of food legislation and of sanitary and phytosanitary measures are among the problems that had to be solved first. Many Russian food and trade regulations had been changed or are still in the process of being reformed, largely owing to a policy of integration pursued by the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. However, as a member of the Eurasian Economic Community, Russia is also engaged not only in harmonization throughout the Customs Union but also Kirgizstan and Tajikistan, and Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine as observer countries. Russia also continues to coordinate policy reforms closely with the European Union, its primary trade partner, ultimately bringing Russian food and sanitary norms closer to international standards (e.g. Codex). Today, all participants in the Russian food production chain, processing and sale of foods have to deal with growing numbers of security standards. Many organizations are certified under several schemes, which leads to unnecessary costs. Harmonization of standards has helped promote solutions in the domestic market as well as import–export of foods and raw materials for production. Priorities have included food safety for human health, consumer protection, removal of hazardous and/or adulterated products and increased competition within the domestic food market as well as mutual recognition of certification in bilateral and multilateral (inter)national agreements. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry     

《2015年国际橄榄油和食用橄榄协定》解析

《2015年国际橄榄油和食用橄榄协定》（International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives, 2015）是国际商品协定的一种,由联合国于2015年10月9日在日内瓦万国宫谈判后通过。基于此组建的国际橄榄理事会（International Olive Council）是全球橄榄贸易领域的权威组织。该协定最早版本于1959年首签,2015年第六版有效期至2026年12月31日。本文介绍协定内容并就以下方面进行解释：国际橄榄理事会的工作目标,橄榄油和食用橄榄的有关名词术语,成员理事会的组成方式和行政机构,各成员国在理事会的参与份额计算方式。截止2020年成员国方面的变动为伊拉克退出,增加巴勒斯坦、格鲁吉亚两个国家,文中所列成员参与份额为2020更新的数据。另外2021年毛里塔尼亚有望同意签署2015年版本协定,正式加入该组织。了解和熟悉国际橄榄油和食用橄榄协定是中国橄榄油行业融入世界贸易外循环的前提条件。作为国际大宗初级产品的主要进口和出口国,本文介绍的橄榄油和食用橄榄协定的一般原则与组织方式值得借鉴,我国应当在其它初级产品贸易规则的标准制定方面掌握主动,发出更多中国声音,为完善全球治理做出中国贡献。     

Plant health and food security,linking science,economics, policy and industry

Protecting plant resources from harmful organisms that can spread internationally is a major challenge for plant protection organisations. Natural scientists and economists have methods that contribute to informing and supporting government decision makers in plant health authorities, who also need to account for stakeholders’ views when developing policy and regulations to mitigate plant pest risks. Increasingly plant protection authorities seek to develop integrated decision making through economists and scientists working within an interdisciplinary framework. In this special section of Food Security we introduce a series of papers presented at an international conference that brought together natural scientists, economists, industry representatives and plant health policy makers to report the state of the art and explore the direction and future research needs for such interdisciplinary working to deliver rational plant protection policy and improved food security for the 21st Century. The collection of papers combine contributions from leading academics and influential policy makers and provides cohesive international perspectives on the use of science and economics, as well as their integration, to progress the development of integrated multi-disciplinary plant health policy making around the world. Using a modified version of the world café method during a conference workshop activity, participants identified greater international co-operation as a key mechanism that would reduce international plant health risks. Specifically, co-operation over analysis among stakeholders and along supply chains were seen as key issues.     

Regulations applicable to plant food supplements and related products in the European Union

This paper deals with the current regulatory and legal settings of traditional plant food supplements and herbal medicinal products in the European Union (EU). Marketing of botanicals in foods and food supplements in the EU is subject to several provisions of food law, which cover aspects of safety, production, labelling and product composition, including the use of additives and maximum levels of contaminants and residues. However, due to limited harmonization at the EU level, specific national regulations adopted at a Member State level also apply and mutual recognition is the mechanism through which such products can be marketed in EU countries other than those of origin. Unlike food supplements, marketing of traditional herbal medicinal products is regulated by an ad hoc Directive (i.e. Directive 2004/24/EC) covering in detail all the relevant aspects of these products, including a facilitated registration procedure at national level. However, by distinguishing traditional herbal medicinal products from plant food supplements and establishing selective marketing modalities for these two product categories, the EU has been confronted with implementation difficulties for traditional herbal medicinal products and a lack of homogeneity in the regulatory approaches adopted in different EU Member States. In fact, currently the nature of the commercial botanical products made available to consumers as traditional medicinal products or food supplements, depends largely on the EU Member State under consideration as a consequence of how competent National Authorities and manufacturing companies interpret and apply current regulations rather than on the intrinsic properties of the botanical products and their constituents. When the EU approach is compared with approaches adopted in some non-European countries to regulate these product categories, major differences become evident.