Lesson 1: Introduction to Phytosanitary Treatments
Topic 1: The Purpose of Phytosanitary Treatments
In this topic, we will explore phytosanitary treatments and discover why treatments are needed.
Objectives:
- Participants will define what phytosanitary treatments are.
- Participants will explain why phytosanitary treatments are necessary for agricultural commodities.
Before performing a phytosanitary treatment, one needs to know what a phytosanitary treatment is and why phytosanitary treatments are administered on agricultural products, as well as other products, that could harbor pests during the cargoes movement and offloading the commodity in another country.
Why do countries treat commodities for plant pests to meet phytosanitary requirements?
Every day agricultural commodities are grown, harvested, and sold. Most of these commodities are consumed or eaten by the domestic market. However, sometimes those agricultural commodities are sold and sent to other countries to be consumed there. Commodities that are exported using approved phytosanitary treatments to other countries must meet certain standards, such as:
- official requirements regarding quarantine status of pests associated with the commodity to be exported, and
- requirements of the importing country for the application of a treatment. The importing country may specify certain guidelines or phytosanitary requirements to prevent the introduction and establishment of a pest within its growing areas or forests.
As defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a pest is “any species, strain, or biotype of plant, animal, or pathogenic agent injurious to plants or plant products.” From a phytosanitary treatment perspective, there are four main groups of pests as you will see below. Click on the boxes to learn more.
What is a phytosanitary treatment?
A phytosanitary treatment is defined as an “officially authorized procedure for the killing, removal or rendering infertile of pests.” ISPM 28 serves as a valuable reference on phytosanitary treatments for regulated pests. ISPM 28 may be reviewed in the Resource section of this module. The types of phytosanitary treatments that are available and approved for use to meet phytosanitary requirements for agriculture commodities include:
- fumigation, chemical treatments
- aerosols, chemical treatment
- dips, chemical treatments
- dust, chemical treatments
- sprays, chemical treatment
- heat, non-chemical treatments
- cold treatment, non-chemical treatments
- irradiation, non-chemical treatments
In this topic, we explored the purpose of phytosanitary treatments. We defined what phytosanitary treatments are and why it is necessary to apply them. History has shown us the devastation that pests can cause and the value that phytosanitary treatments contribute to global food security.
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