Improving Global Plant Biosecurity, and Why it Matters to Growers
The International Association of Horticultural Producers’ (AIPH) online conference “Working Together for Better Plant Health” in March brought together a global audience of growers, horticulture scientists, plant health professionals, and decision-makers from more than 50 countries.
With sponsorship support from Royal FloraHolland, MPS, and Visser Horti Systems, an international cast of contributors from the ornamental horticulture industry presented their current regional regulatory frameworks and national initiatives in place against plant pests and diseases.
“From this conference, it was clear to see that in many countries around the world there is industry recognition that regulatory compliance alone is not enough to protect the sector from plant health threats and to maintain confidence in plant trade,” says Tim Briercliffe, AIPH Secretary General. “The conference identified a clear need for more dialogue between countries on this issue and the possibility of developing a benchmark standard that could provide international recognition. The potential for collaboration with National Plant Protection Organizations in this will also enable growers to develop systems that reach common goals in a cost-effective way.”
The event kicked off with keynote speaker Ralph Lopian of Finland, Chair of the International Steering Committee for the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) 2020, who explained how much damage pests and diseases create, not just on lost profitability for horticultural products, but also on the environment and the resulting effect on the food chain.
AIPH members are organizations representing the interests of ornamentals producers in their country or region. At the beginning of the year, members and contacts completed a plant health survey that sought to identify industry-led initiatives that support growers in demonstrating good plant health practices across live plant supply chains. AIPH Technical Advisor Audrey Timm provided a review of that survey, identifying what support the industry has from programs that provide testing and certification of plant health management systems and processes.
More than three quarters (77.5%) of those surveyed indicated a need for a voluntary international plant health and biosecurity standard. A full report from AIPH will be available to review in May.
While regulatory frameworks are of vital importance, and regulations must be fit for purpose, the inspection services that support them must be efficient and effective; global biosecurity starts with the producers and traders of plants. This has led many industry associations to develop their own schemes to support their sector with plant health.
The recordings from the AIPH International Plant Health Conference are available to watch online anytime here or the AIPH YouTube channel.
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