NAPPO Newsletter    June 2009

^{33rd Annual Meeting}

^{October 19 - 23, 2009}

^{Chicago, Illinois, USA}

Unwanted messages

NAPPO Smile

What bug would you find in a church? A praying mantis

33rd NAPPO Annual Meeting

^{Octubre 19 - 23, 2009 - Chicago, Illinois, United States}

The NAPPO Annual Meeting provides a unique opportunity for individuals throughout the North American region and world wide to keep up to date with regard to current and emerging regional and international pest issues and standards. The agenda will cover diverse NAPPO and IPPC issues. In addition, the 33^rd Annual Meeting will feature a one day symposium on Biotechnology “Living Modified Organisms and Plant Health”. Our keynote speaker is Roger Beachy from the Danforth Plant Science Center in the USA.

The registration fee is $325 for each participant and includes all meetings, the reception, the banquet, and the field trip. There is an additional charge of $90 for your guest to attend the banquet and $45 for each guest to participate in the field trip. Please submit your registration form by September 24, 2009 to take advantage of the $325 fee. Beginning September 25, 2009 the fee increases to $375. If you are not registered by September 24, 2009, you will need to register on site.

There are many tourist attractions in Chicago including parks, museums and a renowned Aquarium. 

Additional detailed information on the venue and meeting agenda is posted on the NAPPO website: www.nappo.org and the USDA website: www.aphisusda.gov/plant_health/nappo2009/

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Faces of NAPPO - Fruit Tree & Grapevine Panel

Dan Thompson received his M.Sc. in plant pathology from the University of British Columbia. Since 1981 he has worked as a biologist at the CFIA - Centre for Plant Health (CPH), Sidney Laboratory in Sidney, B.C. He is responsible for virus testing of fruit trees, ornamentals and small fruit, virus elimination procedures, and virus certification programs. Dan is a member of the Canadian Phytopathological Society and the NAPPO Fruit Tree and Grapevine Panel.

The CPH provides virus-testing and research support for the Plum pox virus (PPV) eradication program and Dan has participated on the Canadian National PPV Task Force and the US PPV Science Panel.

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Ray Johnson has been the Section Head, Grapevine Diagnostic Program at the Centre for Plant Health, Sidney Laboratory, CFIA, Sidney, BC, Canada since 1980.  He graduated in 1975 with a B.S.A (entomology) from the University of Manitoba and in 1988 with a M. Sc. (plant virology) from the University of British Columbia.  He started with the Canadian government in 1975, first with the Food Production and Inspection Branch of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, moving to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency when it was formed in 1997.  Prior to his current position he was responsible for a potato virus testing lab under the Canadian Seed Potato Certification Program and did Import/Export inspection. 

He has been a member of the Grapevine Panel since its inception and Chairperson until the recent amalgamation with the Fruit Tree Panel. He is also a member of the Plants for Planting Panel.

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Thierry Poiré completed a Bachelor's degree in Agriculture (Plant Health) from Laval University in Quebec City. He then undertook graduated studies in Entomology studying the food-web aspect of aphids-parasitoids ecosystems of vegetables crops. Thierry joined CFIA in Montreal in 2001, first as an inspector then as Horticulture Specialist in 2002.

He since moved to CFIA's Headquarters in Ottawa. He is working mostly on the Plum Pox Virus outbreak and on fruit trees certification programs and is a member of the NAPPO Fruit Tree & Grapevine Panel.

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Charles (Chuck) Lemmon has been with the Canadian Government for 25 years and is currently a Commodity Officer with the Edible Horticulture Crops Section of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and responsible for export certification information for horticultural crops as well as grapevine certification programs.   After graduating from the University of Guelph in 1978 with a B.Sc. Agr in Horticulture Science he worked for six years as a private sector orchard production manager in Ontario, Canada before joining the government. 

His government career has been primarily Plant Health regulatory work with specific emphasis on export certification, interpretation of regulations and international negotiations.

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Arnold Tschanz is a Senior Plant Pathologist and Agriculturalist with the Plants for Planting Policy group within the Regulations, Permits, and Manuals Unit in the Plant Health Programs of Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ). Dr. Tschanz's principal responsibility is revising the US regulations and procedures governing the importation of plants for planting.  Prior to 2001, Dr. Tschanz was the Director of PPQ National Plant Germplasm Quarantine Center (NPGQC) in Beltsville, MD.  The NPGQC is the principal USDA plant quarantine center and specialized in the testing and treatment of plants whose importation would otherwise be prohibited. 
 

Prior to joining PPQ in 1988 he was a scientist and Head of Plant Pathology at the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center in Taiwan.  Dr. Tschanz received a PhD and other degrees from Cornell University with specialization in plant pathology, international agriculture, plant breeding, ornamental horticulture and floriculture.  He is also a member of the Plants for Planting Panel.

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Murali Bandla  received his Doctorate degree from Oklahoma State University in Plant Pathology (virology) in 1997.   His expertise is in diagnostics and diagnostic method development using antibody technology.
 

He joined DSL Inc., in 1997 as new product development scientist prior to moving to Agdia Inc., as Director of Research and Development and then to Envirologix Inc., as Vice President of Research and Development.  During this tenure he led team of scientists in developing several diagnostic kits for detecting human hormones and growth factors; plant pathogens; GM traits in crops and seed; fungal toxins; pesticides etc. In 2006 he joined APHIS, USDA as Director of Plant Safeguarding and Pest Identification with responsibilities over the Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) germplasm and quarantine programs, national clean plant network, plant inspection station policies, national identification services and operational molecular diagnostics.  In March 2007 he moved to Phytosanitary Issue Management program of PPQ as Assistant Deputy Administrator.

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Walter Gould is a Senior Risk Manager with USDA-APHIS-PPQ in Riverdale, Maryland.  He received a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 1980 from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, followed by both a Masters (1982) and Ph.D. degree (1986) in Entomology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  In 1986 he began work with USDA-ARS as a Research Entomologist in Miami developing commodity treatments for insect pests. 

In 2001 he joined the USDA-APHIS-PPQ as the Entomologist in charge of oversight of containment facilities for exotic pest insect.  In 2006 he became a Senior Risk Manager – Entomology with a responsibility to determine the pest mitigations required to allow safe importation of fruits and vegetables into the United States.

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Ricardo Perez Zubiri  graduated from the Antonio Narro Agricultural Autonomous University of Saltillo, Coahuila, as an Agronomist in Horticulture, and later obtained his Masters degree in Science in Agricultural Parasitology.  During his last semester of his degree, he worked as a part-time professor for Basic Entomology and Economic Entomology. In 1999, he started working at the SAGARPA National Phytosanitary Reference Centre, and he is presently the Deputy Director for Phytosanitary Diagnostics.

Ricardo is in charge of the seven official diagnostic laboratories, and participates in overseeing private laboratories approved by SAGARPA. In addition, he collaborates with the Mexican Accreditation Agency (EMA) as member of the subcommittee of testing laboratories at the Plant Health branch

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July 2009

Working Group

Executive Committee
August 10
Oklahoma City, OK, US

US National Plant Board
August 10 to 13
Oklahoma City, OK, US

21^st Technical Consultation of RPPOs

September 2009
 

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d American Lumber Standards Committee

d American Seed Trade Association

d California Avocado Commission

d California Citrus Quality Council

d California Dept. of Food & Agriculture

d California Tree Fruit Agreement

d Canadian Nursery and Landscape Association

d Canadian Seed Trade Association

d Canadian Horticultural Council

d Foothills Landscaping Ltd.

d National Plant Board

d National Potato Council

d Society of American Florists

d Syngenta

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Canada’s Least Wanted Invasive Plants Project

In order to expand on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) efforts to prevent the introduction and spread of invasive plants in Canada, the CFIA is beginning to identify Canada’s “least wanted” plants and regulate them as quarantine pests under the Plant Protection Act.  The CFIA is carrying out this new project as part of its commitment to limit the introduction and spread of invasive plants under An Invasive Alien Species Strategy for Canada. The Strategy aims to reduce the risk of invasive species to the environment, economy, and society, and to protect environmental values such as biodiversity and sustainability. Invasive plants are plant species that spread when introduced outside of their natural past or present distribution and cause serious and often irreversible damage to Canada’s ecosystems, economy and society. 
 

The scope of this project is limited to terrestrial, readily-identifiable, vascular plants that meet the definition of a quarantine pest.  Only species that are not present in Canada are being considered with the exception of a few species for which official control measures will be put in place. The species must have potential to over-winter in Canada and must have the potential to pose a very serious threat to Canada’s economy, environment or society.  Also, the major pathways of introduction must be known and manageable through regulations and directives.
 

A preliminary list of over 700 potential candidates was initially screened using the selection criteria outlined above, and then a short list of 50 candidate species was created in March 2009.  Weed risk assessments and risk management documents are now being prepared for the candidate species. 
 

CFIA is committed to working with key stakeholders to respond to the risk invasive plants pose in Canada.  The CFIA will consult stakeholders and provide WTO notification before finalizing this list of plants and regulating them under the Plant Protection Act and Regulations (and also under the Seeds Act and Regulations, as appropriate).  A sixty day stakeholder consultation period is scheduled for September to October 2009.
 

For more information contact Vivian Brownell, Senior Program Specialist, Invasive Plants Section, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa. Email: vivian.brownell@inspection.gc.ca
 

Source: Steve Cote, CFIA.

Eriochloa villosa
(woolly cup grass)
Mylne Bourgeois, CFIA

Nasella trichotoma
(serrated tussock),
Bill Strong

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Newly adopted ISPMs and draft ISPM for country consultation

New ISPMs:
 

ISPM No. 32 (2009) Categorization of commodities according to their pest risk

This standard provides criteria for National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPOs) of importing countries on how to categorize commodities according to their pest risk when considering import requirements. This categorization should help in identifying whether further pest risk analysis is required and if phytosanitary certification is needed.
 

Contaminating pests or storage pests that may become associated with the commodity after processing are not considered in this standard.
 

ISPM No. 15 (2009) Revised - Regulation of wood packaging material in international trade

This standard describes phytosanitary measures that reduce the risk of introduction and spread of quarantine pests associated with the movement in international trade of wood packaging material made from raw wood. Wood packaging material covered by this standard includes dunnage but excludes wood packaging made from wood processed in such a way that it is free from pests (e.g. plywood).
 

ISPM No. 05 (2009) Glossary of phytosanitary terms. Appendix No. 1: Terminology of the Convention on Biological Diversity in relation to the Glossary of phytosanitary terms

Study of the terms and definitions available from the CBD has shown that they are based on concepts different from those of the IPPC, so that similar terms are given distinctly different meanings. The CBD terms and definitions could not accordingly be used directly in the Glossary. It was decided instead to present these terms and definitions in the present Appendix to the Glossary, providing explanations of how they differ from IPPC terminology.
 

Draft ISPM:

The following draft ISPMs, treatment and diagnostic protocols are currently available for for country consultation on June 15, 2009:

Draft ISPMs:
 

·          Revision of ISPM 12 (Guidelines for phytosanitary certification)

·          Revision of ISPM 7 (Export certification system)

·          New (Design and operation of post-entry quarantine stations) 

·          Revision of ISPM 5 (Glossary)

Draft diagnostic protocols:

·          Diagnostic protocol for Thrips palmi
 

Draft treatment protocols:

·          Cold treatment of Citrus sinensis for Ceratitis capitata

·          Cold treatment of Citrus reticulata x C. sinensis for Ceratitis capitata

·          Cold treatment of Citrus sinensis for Bactrocera tryoni

·          Cold treatment of Citrus reticulata x C. sinensis for Bactrocera tryoni

·          Cold treatment of Citrus limon for Bactrocera tryoni

·          Cold treatment of Citrus paradisi for Ceratitis capitata

·          Cold treatment of Citrus reticulate cultivars and hybrids for Ceratitis capitata

·          Cold treatment of Citrus limon for C. capitata
 

Source: Walther Enkerlin, NAPPO.

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Trip Troubles

e-mail: celliott@ngs.org

(Note:  This gets results. We had a dispute with a major airline resolved in one week)

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Panel Meeting Reports

Potato Panel:

The Panel has nearly completed the review of RSPM 3 Requirements for the Importation of Potatoes. The panel will continue working on the pest free area annex, specifically on reaching consensus for criteria on soil sampling rates and frequencies. The panel prepared specific deliverables and timelines for the three TAGs that will develop the PVY and Ralstonia detection diagnostic protocols and the sprout inhibition treatment protocol.

PRA Panel:

The Panel has discussed and agreed on the development of a NAPPO PRA model. The PRA model will include recommendations for risk management options. A white paper on handicrafts as potential pathways of introduction of exotic forest pests will be drafted by a small group of four people from the Forestry and PRA Panels. The panel provided support to the Invasive Species Panel for the completion of RSPM 31 Pathway Risk Analysis and to the Forestry Panel to discuss the required amendments to the Asian Gypsy Moth standard.

Forestry Panel:

Final comments have been received from Asian countries on draft RSPM 33 and the standard will be prepared for EC approval in August, 2009. The panel agreed to draft a concept standard for Christmas trees that includes identification of pest risks in general, mitigation measures and inspection.  The panel requested that the plants for planting panel provide an update on implementation of RSPM No. 24 to the forestry panel due to the risk that plants for planting represents.

Invasive Species Panel:

Panel and TAG have hopefully overcome the minor barriers to the development of the  pathway risk analysis standard. The standard will look at the issue from a top-down approach (i.e. from a high level conceptual perspective) with a general framework to maximize applicability. The scope will be expanded to include natural spread and unauthorised intentional introductions.

Citrus Panel:

Good progress is being made in the organization of the International Workshop on Citrus Quarantine Pests to be held in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico, July 27 - 31, 2009. Final review of the diagnostic protocol on CTV was conducted and current work on the diagnostic protocol on citrus greening was discussed.  

Grains Panel:

The panel thoroughly reviewed RSPM 13 Guidelines to Establish, Maintain and Verify Karnal Bunt Pest Free Areas in North America and RSPM 21 Harmonized Procedure for Morphologically Distinguishing Teliospores of Karnal Bunt, Ryegrass Bunt and Rice Bunt. The panel’s goal is to have the documents finalized for approval of the Executive Committee during its meeting in August.

Seeds Panel:

The major constraints to certification of re-exports of seed were identified and documented. The panel will continue working towards developing procedures to facilitate re-export of seeds in the Americas in collaboration with the North American seed industry, the Seed Association of the Americas and COSAVE. The procedures should form the basis for a draft standard tentatively named: Guidelines to facilitate re-export of plants.

Accreditation Panel:

The new draft RSPM 28 Guidelines for Authorization was reviewed and consensus reached on the content and format. A comprehensive review was conducted to RSPM 9 The Authorization of Laboratories for Phytosanitary Testing. Preliminary work was initiated to develop the checklist for standardizing auditing implementation of RSPM 9 in NAPPO countries.

E-certification Panel:

An International Electronic Phytosanitary Certification Workshop co-hosted by NAPPO and CFIA was held in Ottawa, Canada, May 19-21, 2009. The workshop was attended by over 60 delegates from 14 countries.  Discussions were held on the status of electronic certification at the international level and on a strategy to move forward. Three working groups were created to advance a standardized, international approach for plant e-cert.

Full report details are available at: http://www.nappo.org/Reports/PanelsMeetings08-09-e.htm

Source: Walther Enkerlin, NAPPO.

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International Electronic Phytosanitary Certification Workshop

An International Electronic Phytosanitary Certification Workshop co-hosted by NAPPO and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency was held in Ottawa, Canada, May 19-21, 2009. The workshop was attended by over 60 delegates from 14 countries.

The President of the CFIA (Ms. Carole Swan) kicked off the workshop with an address in which she highlighted the importance of implementing electronic certification at the CFIA and internationally as a means to increase efficiencies in the certification process for the import and export of plant products, as well as to reduce the potential for fraudulent documentation.

Objectives

The objectives of the workshop were as follows:

1. Review of electronic certification approaches under development in different countries and regions;

2. Establishment of an international forum for information sharing and harmonization of approaches; and

3. Development of a strategic plan leading to standardized electronic certification under the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).

Workshop participants defined Electronic phytosanitary certification as:

 “The authenticated and secure electronic transmission of phytosanitary certification data, including the certifying statement, from the National Plant protection Organization (NPPO) of the exporting country to the NPPO of the importing country”

Major follow-up actions identified were to raise e-certification as a priority item for the work program of CPM-5 and to establishment an international forum for ongoing communication on e-phyto certification.

A meeting report summarizing the key agreements and recommendations was prepared as well a timetable of activities and is available at www.nappo.org/E-Cert%20Symposium5-09/E-CertWorkshop-e/E-Cert-05-09-e.htm     

Source: Walther Enkerlin, NAPPO.

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Announcements

International Workshop on Citrus Quarantine Pests

The international workshop is organized by the North American Plant Protection Organization (NAPPO), SAGARPA/SENASICA/DGSV, USDA, IICA and the Plant Protection Committee of the State of Tabasco.  It will be held in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico, from 27 to 31 July, 2009. The objectives of the Workshop are: 1) To raise awareness among government and industry in countries that produce citrus, on the risks of entry and establishment of quarantine citrus pests and its potential negative economic impact; 2) To expose participants to the necessary phytosanitary measures for integrated management, including surveillance and control, of citrus quarantine pests; and 3) To identify phytosanitary measures that could prevent introduction and establishment of these pests. The workshop will cover a wide range of topics such as importance of awareness in preventing the introduction and spread of quarantine pests, surveillance systems, integrated pest management and economic impact for a number of citrus quarantine pests including: citrus variegated chlorosis, citrus canker, leprosis and huanglongbing (citrus greening).

For more information please visit: www.nappo.org/Workshop%20Citrus%20QuaratinePests-UP23-4-09.pdf  

International Congress on Biological Invasions (ICBI) to be held on 2-6 November 2009 in Fuzhou, China

In response to the global challenge of invasive alien species (IAS) and in conjunction with the International Day for Biological Diversity, the International Congress on Biological Invasions has been jointly organized by Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), CAB International (CABI), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization of Australia (CSIRO), Kansas State University (KSU), Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences (FAAS), Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC).

The theme of ICBI is managing biological invasions under global change. This congress will be a forum to respond to increasing IAS issues worldwide, targeting the needs of IAS management at national, regional and international levels. ICBI also aims to provide a platform for the exchange of research developments and tracking of technical progress in multidisciplinary topics dealing with IAS.

For more details, please visit http://www.icbi2009.org.

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Initiation of the irradiation age as a phytosanitary treatment: Alberto Cardenas Jimenez Mexican Secretariat of Agriculture

Mexico City, May 29, 2009

The Secretariat of Agriculture and the General Director of the National Institute for Nuclear Research (ININ), Alberto Cardenas Jimenez and Raul Ortiz Magaña, respectively, signed a cooperative agreement to support irradiation as phytosanitary treatment on fruit and vegetable exports.

Through this agreement, the ININ will create research and development projects and will provide specialized technological services, such as training experts, researchers and support staff for irradiation applications as phytosanitary control measures.   

Secretariat Alberto Cardenas Jimenez indicated that this agreement set the basis to meet the growers and exporters demands for plant products that can be exported applying this new technology. Irradiation for fruit and vegetable exports will be a dominant technology in the short and long term.

Through the years, Mexico has exported a considerable volume of plant products to different parts of the world; some of the products can only be exported after receiving phytosanitary treatment either by physical or chemical means, which in one or another way affects the physical characteristics of those products, changing its colour, smell and flavour, which eventually reduces the produce shelf life.

The most commonly used quarantine treatment is methyl bromide fumigation. Unfortunately, this treatment affects the ozone layer.

Irradiation as a quarantine treatment was approved in 2003 by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Once the United States Department of Agriculture implemented that international standard in its regulations, which determined that irradiation was acceptable as a quarantine treatment for fruit products, SAGARPA included the use of gamma rays.

This technology is applied in Mexican guava exports to the United States and in the first two weeks of June 2009, we expect to export mango (Manila variety) which are produced on the coast of Guerrero.

Source: Press room, SAGARPA

Individual acknowledgement

The NAPPO Secretariat often sends out e-mails to all panel members to provide new information in one single e-mail. If you would like to reply to acknowledge receipt, please do so only to the sender of the message (the Secretariat) and not to all and each of the recipients of the message. This way, unwanted messages are avoided.  

Subscribe to the Phytosanitary Alert System mailing list to receive email notifications of new pest alerts and news stories.  E-mail notifications will typically be sent once per week. To subscribe, follow the instructions on the website: www.pestalert.org/main.cfm under “Subscribe”

NAPPO Newsletter
June 2009
Published by the North American Plant Protection Organization
Editor:  Ian McDonell
1431 Merivale Road, 3^rd Floor, Room 309
Ottawa, Ontario - K1A 0Y9 -Canada
Tel.: 613-221-5144 / Fax: 613-228-2540
Email: ian.mcdonell@nappo.org