Programme overview
Introduction:
Plant quarantine and phytosanitary inspection with pest risk analysis and certification is a 5-day course for plant protection inspectors, entry-point quarantine staff and exporters of plants and plant products, ending with a Phytosanitary Import Control and Pest Incursion Response Plan for a case plant protection organisation. Regulated pests slip through when pathways are not analysed, consignments are inspected without a sampling basis and certificates are issued on thin evidence. Nominees already inspect, treat or certify plant consignments, and teaching is by inspection walkthrough of fruit, nursery stock and wood packaging. CoreConcept Training Center delivers this plant quarantine course.
Course Objectives:
- Classify quarantine pests and regulated non-quarantine pests and map the pathways by which they move with plants, plant products and wood packaging
- Conduct a pest risk analysis following ISPM 2 and ISPM 11, from initiation through pest categorisation to risk management options
- Inspect plant consignments at entry points using ISPM 23 procedures and ISPM 31 sampling to detect regulated pests at a stated confidence level
- Verify fumigation, heat treatment and ISPM 15 wood packaging marks, and decide on treatment, re-export or destruction of non-compliant consignments
- Issue and check phytosanitary certificates under ISPM 7 and ISPM 12, including electronic certificates exchanged through ePhyto
- Plan surveillance, pest free areas and emergency action for a quarantine pest incursion within a Phytosanitary Import Control and Pest Incursion Response Plan
Target Audience:
- Inspectors responsible for documentary, identity and physical checks of plant consignments at seaports, airports and land entry points
- Quarantine officers who take samples, hold consignments and order treatment, re-export or destruction
- Certification staff who examine export lots and sign phytosanitary certificates
- Pest risk analysts who assess new commodity and origin requests for plants and plant products
- Export compliance staff in nurseries, seed, fruit and timber firms who prepare consignments for phytosanitary clearance
- Surveillance field officers who run trapping and delimiting surveys for quarantine pests
Course Outline:
Day 1: Plant Quarantine Foundations, Regulated Pests and Pathways
- IPPC Convention Purpose, Contracting Party Duties and NPPO Functions
- Quarantine Pest Versus Regulated Non-Quarantine Pest Classification Criteria
- Pathway Mapping for Seeds, Cut Flowers, Nursery Stock and Grain
- Regulated Articles Including Soil, Conveyances and Wood Packaging
- Entry Point Plant Quarantine Current-State Gap Checklist
Day 2: ISPM Framework and Pest Risk Analysis Stages
- ISPM 2 Pest Risk Analysis Framework Initiation and Scoping
- ISPM 11 Pest Categorisation and Entry Probability Assessment
- Establishment, Spread and Consequence Scoring Worksheet for Quarantine Pests
- ISPM 21 Risk Analysis for Regulated Non-Quarantine Pests
- Pest Risk Management Options and Import Requirement Drafting
Day 3: Consignment Inspection, Sampling and Phytosanitary Certification
- ISPM 23 Documentary, Identity and Integrity Check Sequence
- ISPM 31 Hypergeometric and Binomial Sample Size Tables
- Visual Examination, Hand Lens Work and Specimen Dispatch to Diagnosticians
- ISPM 7 Export Certification System and Pre-Shipment Lot Examination
- ISPM 12 Certificate Fields, Additional Declarations and ePhyto Exchange
Day 4: Phytosanitary Treatments, Non-Compliance and Incursion Control
- ISPM 28 Treatment Schedules and Efficacy Evidence Review
- Methyl Bromide and Phosphine Fumigation Dosage and Gas Monitoring Records
- ISPM 15 Heat Treatment, Debarking and Wood Packaging Mark Verification
- Non-Compliance Notification, Re-Export and Destruction Decision Log
- Red Palm Weevil Incursion Delimiting Survey and Containment Zone
Day 5: Inspection Walkthrough and Phytosanitary Response Plan
- Case Fresh Fruit Consignment Sampling and Interception Record
- Case Wood Packaging Mark and Bark Tolerance Walkthrough
- Case Export Lot Certificate Review With Additional Declarations
- ISPM 6 Surveillance and ISPM 4 Pest Free Area Upkeep
- Phytosanitary Import Control and Pest Incursion Response Plan Completion
Skills You Will Gain:
- Pest Pathway Mapping
- Pest Risk Assessment
- Consignment Sample Sizing
- Interception Specimen Handling
- Treatment Record Verification
- Wood Packaging Mark Checking
- Phytosanitary Certificate Drafting
- Delimiting Survey Planning
Why Attend This Course:
- Deliver a Phytosanitary Import Control and Pest Incursion Response Plan to the head of plant quarantine, the entry point manager and the export certification lead
- Decide whether a plant consignment is released, held for diagnosis, treated, re-exported or destroyed, with the evidence recorded
- Avoid quarantine pest establishment, rejected export lots and trading partner notifications caused by weak inspection or certificate errors
- Coach inspection and certification colleagues on sample size tables, wood packaging marks and certificate additional declarations
Conclusion:
Back at work, the participant presents the Phytosanitary Import Control and Pest Incursion Response Plan to the head of plant quarantine, the entry point manager and the export certification lead. They use it to set inspection intensity by pathway, approve sampling tables and treatment providers, and agree who acts when a quarantine pest is intercepted or found in the field. After the first quarter of use, the unit should review interception records, non-compliance notifications received, treatment failures and surveillance trap returns, then update the pathway rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
What should participants know before a plant quarantine and phytosanitary inspection course?
Participants should already inspect, treat, certify or prepare plant consignments and recognise common plant pests. Bringing anonymised interception records, a sample certificate or a treatment log helps them apply the walkthroughs and the final plan to their own entry point or export operation.
How does plant quarantine and phytosanitary inspection differ from food import inspection or farm pest management?
It deals with regulated plant pests moving through trade: pest risk analysis, consignment sampling, treatments, certificates and incursion response. Food import courses focus on food safety hazards and clearance, and farm pest management courses focus on controlling established pests inside crops.
Why does plant quarantine and phytosanitary inspection rely on pest risk analysis?
Pest risk analysis gives a technical justification for each import requirement. It shows which pests could enter, establish and cause harm through a pathway, so measures stay proportionate and inspection effort goes to the consignments that carry real risk.
What do participants take back from the plant quarantine and phytosanitary inspection course?
Participants take back a Phytosanitary Import Control and Pest Incursion Response Plan for a case plant protection organisation, with a pathway ranking, pest risk worksheet, sampling table, treatment check sheet and incursion action steps they can adapt to their own work.