About Biosecurity and Trade Support
Biosecurity and Trade Support
The Biosecurity and Trade
Support (BATS) group aim provide technical services to the PICTs in the
following areas:
upgrade and maintain national border biosecurity (quarantine) services and biosecurity related trade services
including harmonisation of laws and procedures,
compliance with international standards,
regional coordination of emergency response to pest incursion,
capacity building in trade facilitation procedures,
ensure safe movement germplasm in the region.
BATS group help PICTs facilitate trade and tourism whilst minimising the threat to biological diversity, agricultural production, food security and public health from exotic pests and diseases. BATS activities cover both objectives 1 and 2 of the LRD Strategic Plan.
Objective 1: Sustainable management of integrated forest and
agriculture systems.
BATS will achieve this objective through assisting PICTs in the following activities:
Draft national biosecurity laws in consultation with relevant national and regional stakeholders
to enable implementation of harmonised, internationally standardised biosecurity roles and procedures.
Develop commodity pathways from production, through harvest to packaging of an increased range and quantity of trade supplies that comply with quality and sanitary and phytosanitary standards for export and national markets.
Facilitate development and up-dating of agriculture and forestry emergency response plans and the conduct of national simulation trials on preparedness and capacity to respond to incursions.
In collaboration with regional and national partners develop effective strategies to strengthen national border protection, and support regional responses to pest, disease and invasive weed incursions.
Objective 2: Improved biosecurity and trade facilitation
Activities undertaken by BATS under objective 2 include:
Assist PICTs conduct import risk analysis, develop import protocols, develop trade access submissions and to comply with export protocol and certification based on standard international, regional or trade partner procedures.
Strengthen border operations by supplying facilities, training in the use these (improved) facilities and continued support for training in inspection and surveillance as the first line of defence to minimise incursions.
Provide secretarial functions to the Pacific Plant Protection Organisation and other regional professional organisations, network and/or consultation with regional and international technical bodies concerned with biosecurity, biosafety, SPS standards, timber certification and border operations.
Facilitate economic analysis, marketing research and evaluation of national capacity for maintaining continuity of commodity supplies for domestic or of potential export commodities.
In collaboration with other LRD groups and stakeholders develop programmes focussing on supply chains to raise the quality and reduce post-harvest losses and to add value to agricultural, forest and tree products for domestic and export trade.
In consultation with traders, trade partners and producers, facilitate and support the development of appropriate p reshipment treatments and handling to increase shelf life, reduce spoilage and compliance with the sanitary and phytosanitary requirements of trade partners.
Develop and maintain efficient databases for rigorous and up-to-date, readily accessible records of the complete list of all pests and diseases of plants and animals essential for countries of the Pacific to produce credible quarantine import protocols (based on IRA’s) and to make acceptable market access submissions for exports.
Assist PICTs develop national biosecurity facility based on the regional model to enable improved biosecurity operations and risk based decision-making on biosecurity issues.
Maintain a biosecurity alert and information service to rapidly inform PICTs of imminent pest and disease threats and to provide precautionary advice.
For more information, please contact Sidney
Suma, Coordinator (Biosecurity and trade facilitation)
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