The annual meeting of Nordic-Baltic plant protection authorities is taking place this week in Riga. The meeting brings together 20 participants, representing seven countries, to share experiences on plant health issues. Latvia is represented by experts from the State Plant Protection Service and the Border Control Department of the Food and Veterinary Service.
"In terms of the spread of plant quarantine organisms, countries in our climatic zone are in a much better situation than countries in southern and central Europe. However, as trade volumes increase, so do the risks of spreading harmful organisms. The new plant health regulation requires an increase in the number of inspections and this is now a common challenge for our Baltic and Nordic plant health experts to ensure an effective inspection system with reduced resources", says Kristīne Lomakina, Director of State Plant Protection Service.
During the three-day meeting, participants will inform about the plant quarantine organisms found in each country and the risks they pose, discuss the challenges of applying the pest survey program, discuss the non-compliances found in inspections of nurseries and seedling distribution sites and how to address them, the development of national contingency plans for priority pests, and the import and export of plants and plant products.
The previous meeting in-person took place in Lithuania in 2019.
Quarantine organisms are organisms harmful to plants that may cause unacceptable economic, environmental or social impacts. They are not found in the European Union or are found in restricted areas and are actively contained.
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