Phytosanitary Development Unit
The function of Phytosanitation Development Unit is to secure a sustainable development in the field of plant quarantine taking part in the drafting of Latvian and the EU regulatory enactments and providing for co-operation with international organizations in the sphere of plant quarantine.
The main tasks of the Photosanitation Development Unit are:
- Preparation of the short-term and long-term strategical plans of the Service, as well as setting of priorities in respect of issues under the competency of the department on the national level; secure the implementation of the said plans and priorities;
- Preparation of annual activity plan and review of activities of the Department;
- Preparation of annual attainable national policy implementation indicators under the competency of the Department; aggregation and analysis of national policy implementation results and indicators and evaluation of outturn of the plan both, on the department level and the national level in respect of issues under the competency of the Department; preparation of proposals concerning improvement of the performance of the Department on the national level.
- Preparation of plans and programs in respect of implementation of regulatory enactments or separate rules;
- Formulation of proposals on the required materials, personnel and information resources, training and secondments, as well as the resources required for development of co-operation, to secure the fulfilment of functions assigned to the Department on the national level, as well as performance of functions of the Department itself;
- Summarisation of the application practice of regulatory enactments, analysis thereof, evaluation of drafts regulating phytosanitation and preparation of opinion thereof, as well as formulation of proposals concerning drafts of regulatory enactments;
- Preparation of internal rules for the performance of functions of the Department and implementation of regulatory enactments and by co-operation with other structural units of the Service directing for approval thereof;
- Formulation of the position of Latvia concerning the issues on discussion in the Standing Plant Health Committee of the EC its working groups; representation of Latvia therein;
- Organization of meetings of inter-institutional working groups „Plant Health” and preparation of position of Latvia concerning plant health issues;
- Drafting of instructions and methodologies for the implementation of Administrative Procedure Law and Latvian Administrative Violations Code;
- Preparation of written clarifications for implementation and enforcement of regulatory enactments;
- Elaboration of training programs concerning issues under competency of the Department and participation in training of regional level inspectors and staff members to increase their qualification;
- On the basis of risk analysis of harmful organisms, preparation of proposals on implementation of phytosanitary measures;
- Securing of Exchange of information among countries in the field of plant quarantine by preparation and deliverance of the required information;
- In case of spread of plant quarantine organisms, preparation of proposals for director of the Service for submission to the Minister of Agriculture on bans and restrictions to import particular plants or plant products;
- Preparation of proposals on delimiting of protection zones on the basis of performed surveys;
- Building up of co-operation with Sanitary Border Inspection of Food and Veterinary Service, as well as preparation of instructions in respect of performance of phytosanitary control on the border;
- Co-operation with state administration bodies, producers and growers associations and research institutions;
- Organization of co-operation by involvement in projects and collaboration with international organizations and experts (European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation (EPPO), Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), European Union (EU);
- Preparation of information for institutions of the European Union pursuant to requirements of EU regulatory enactments which are directly in force in Member States concerning issues under competency of the Department;
- Initiation and preparation of information concerning issues under competency of the Department and in co-operation with other structural units of the Service, dissemination to mass media, thus building up the image of the Service;
- Drafting of regulatory enactments and securing of their direction for the adoption to enforce and implement the Plant Protection Law, European Union and other external regulatory enactments in the field of plant quarantine.