A new start
At all levels of EPPO from the Council down to the Panels on Phytosanitary Regulations and on Plant Quarantine Information, great stress is laid on the need for updated phytosanitary information, especially if it can serve as an advance warning system for Member Governments.
From the beginning of 1991, EPPO can meet this demand. The EPPO Reporting Service will be intensified and transformed by the newly appointed Information Officer. Mr. Ralf Lopian, who joined EPPO from 1990-01-01, is from Germany and has most recently worked for the Plant Protection Service in Finland.
In his hands, the Reporting Service will incorporate the following new features:
- Regularity of publication. The Reporting Service will be published monthly.
- Rapid reporting. To meet the demand for an 'early warning system' incoming notifications and information will be reported immediately.
- Intensive literature screening. To provide updated information about quarantine organisms, international publications and other sources will be intensively scanned.
- A new structure. Articles about different quarantine organisms, countries and international organisations are clearly separated and printed on different pages to simplify their storage and later retrieval.
- A clearer overview of contents. For an improved clearness a table of contents will be provided on the front page. Bayer-codes, Iso-codes and common abbreviations will be used as keywords in headings for computer accessibility and quick surveys.
We hope that the EPPO Reporting Service will develop into a source of information on plant quarantine and plant protection which will be used by member countries. Comments, criticisms and plant protection information given by members would certainly help us to achieve this goal.
Sources
Paris, 1991-02-20 EPPO Secretariat