Page 16 - Vol.40-No.4 issue

CROP PROTECTION

Plant health Commission. ment Goal 2 (SDG2) without Breaching the 1.5°C
Threshold“. One of the domains of action identi-
The CPM is the governing body of the Inter-
governing body national Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), !ed in the Roadmap is the protection of crops
meets on further convening annually to assess the global state using integrated pest management to reduce
reliance on chemical products. The FAO Direc-
of plant health and review progress towards
measures to curb achieving the Convention’s objectives. In 2023, tor-General underlined the important contribu-
tion made to the FAO initiatives by CPM’s work
IPPC welcomed the Federal Republic of Somalia
pests and diseases as the 185th contracting party to the multilat- on managing the impact of climate change on
eral treaty. plant health.
Assessing climate change impact Plant health: a critical component
of One Health
on plant pests Among the topics on the agenda at this
Changing weather patterns and rising tem- week’s CPM meeting will be positioning IPPC
peratures across the world have changed the within the One Health approach, which brings
geographic distribution and intensity of plant together international organizations working
pests and diseases. This makes the work of the on plant, animal and human health.
CPM in facilitating international cooperation The IPPC ePhyto Solution has proven that safe
The FAO Commission on Phytosanitary Mea- and information exchange on early detection, trade can be expedited through digital phytos-
sures (CPM), a key body aimed at curbing the rapid response, and coordinated control e"orts anitary certi!cation. By December 2023, more
risks posed by plant pests and diseases that indispensable, Qu underlined. than !ve million (5 000 000) ePhyto certi!cates
threaten agriculture and livelihoods and dam- The IPPC is working together with FAO to were successfully exchanged by 88 active user
age our ecosystems, convened today to discuss help banana-producing countries combat TR4. countries, while the total number of registered
further measures to stop their spread. The IPPC Secretariat coordinates the global ef- countries has increased to 128.
“The consequences of unchecked pest and forts to prevent the entry and spread of TR4. In Although there is a strong global focus on
disease outbreaks are far-reaching and can in- addition to raising awareness on TR4 and con- food safety and animal health standards to en-
#ict irreversible damage on ecosystems, trade, ducting simulation exercises in various coun- sure food security, “we must remember that it
and the global food supply,” QU Dongyu, Di- tries, IPPC has produced a guide to e"ectively all starts with plant health standards,” the FAO
rector-General of the Food and Agriculture Or- prevent, prepare for, and manage TR4. Director-General said, describing them as the
ganization of the United Nations (FAO), said in At the COP28, FAO launched the “Global “guard rails” against the impact of plant pests
his opening address to the 18th Session of the Roadmap for Achieving Sustainable Develop- and diseases. Circle 17 on enquiry card
10-year initiative systems reduce the antimicrobials on farms

The Food and Agriculture Organization of ing to help reduce the need for antimicrobials provements in livestock management prac-
the United Nations announced the launch of in livestock production, prioritizing animal tices, with the transition to a semi-closed
a new action-oriented, country-focused initia- health and welfare, mitigating environmen- cage system. This has had a positive impact
tive to reduce the need for antimicrobials on tal impact, and enhancing food security and on biosecurity practices and e"orts to reduce
farms, amid the growing threat posed by An- nutrition thus, helping to achieve the 2030 antimicrobial use. However, antibiotic pro-
timicrobial Resistance (AMR) in the food and Agenda and its Sustainable Development grams for chicks are still being carried out due
agriculture sector, impacting terrestrial and Goals. to concerns about the quality of chicks and
aquatic animal health, plants and the environ- Working together with governments, farm- farmer discipline regarding biosecurity.
ment and causing signi!cant economic losses ers, private sector and civil society organiza- Actionable steps
to farmers across the globe. tions and other actors, it will promote the “5
“The persistent use of antimicrobials in Gs” at the farm level: Good Health Services, This week’s meeting in Chongqing will
livestock production is concerning for human Good Production Practices, Good Alterna- aim to agree on actionable steps and con-
health, animal welfare, and environmental sus- tives, Good Connections, and Good Incen- crete commitments on RENOFARM in the
tainability,” FAO Director-General QU Dongyu tives, the FAO Director-General said. run up to the 2024 United Nations General
said in a video message announcing the FAO’s goal is to implement the initiative in Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR tak-
launch of the initiative Reduce the Need for An- more than 100 countries in alignment with its ing place in September in New York and the
timicrobials on Farms for Sustainable Agrifood partners under the Quadripartite One Health Francis/Desktop/Final RENOFARM PR draft 2a
Systems Transformation (RENOFARM). approach - the World Health Organization pwm.fmdocx_The%20Fourth%20Global%20
“We must explore innovative pathways to (WHO), the UN Environment Programme High%2Dlevel,%2C%20livestock%2C%20
curb the use of antimicrobials and promote sus- (UNEP), and the World Organisation for Ani- and%20crop%20production." 4th High-Level
tainable practices that safeguard public health mal Health (WOAH). Ministerial Conference on AMR to be held in
and our planet's well-being, while improving Indonesia pilot November 2024 in Saudi Arabia.
livestock productivity,” he told the International RENOFARM is already being piloted in the At the end of September, FAO will also host
Symposium on Pathways to Reduce the Need poultry sector in Indonesia’s Lampung prov- the !rst-ever Global Conference on Animal
for Antimicrobials to Support Sustainable Live- ince with the support of government agen- Health Innovation, Reference Centres and
stock Transformation in Chongqing. cies and other local stakeholders. Other pilots Vaccines. Its aim will be to share insights, ex-
Organized in collaboration with the are underway in Uganda and Nigeria. change experiences and identify concrete ac-
Rongchang District, Chongqing City, Chongq- In Indonesia, Farmers Field School (FFS), tions to improve animal health, combat anti-
ing Academy of Animal Sciences, National focusing on empowering farmers at the com- microbial resistance and promote sustainable
Center of Technological Innovation for Pigs, munity level, is being set up under the project livestock transformation.
and with the support from the Ministry of Ag- to build farmers’ capacity and awareness on Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global
riculture and Rural A"airs of China, the event AMR control, with training materials updated threat to humans, animals, plants, and the envi-
gathered more than 200 experts from China based on local experience and best prac- ronment. Reducing the need for antimicrobials
and across the globe. tices, 20 facilitators trained and the concepts and limiting the emergence of resistant patho-
Policy support trialed with around 20 local poultry farmers. gens is critical to maintaining the world's ability
The RENOFARM initiative aims to provide A focus group discussion held as part of the to treat human, animal and plant diseases, re-
countries with policy support, technical assis- initiative showed that broiler chicken farms duce food safety and security risks and protect
tance, capacity building, and knowledge shar- in Lampung Province have experienced im- the environment. Circle 18 on enquiry card
14 Vol. 40 No. 4