A new role for FAO in plant quarantine
A highlight of the 25th FAO Conference (1989) was unanimous agreement on recommendations giving FAO a new role in plant quarantine. The Conference noted recent GATT negotiations aiming to lift any unjustified restrictions on trade in agricultural products, and also the pivotal role of the IPPC in plant quarantine. It proposed the establishment of a secretariat of the convention within FAO, to allow official handling of international phytosanitary problems in a more efficient way. The Conference also urged FAO member governments to adhere to IPPC or accept its 1979 amendments, if they have not already done so, to enable the revised text to come into force.
The Conference was informed that it would be desirable to begin phasing into FAO's programme of work with the minimum of delay the additional activities envisaged in relation to the IPPC (subject to the availability of resources for these additional activities).
Sources
FAO (1990) Plant Protection Bulletin 38 (1), 2-4.