Overview
Inspection of a representative portion of the consignment, with remedial action applied to the consignment or pathway if a pest threshold is exceeded.
- Use as a phytosanitary measure includes the post-production inspection of fruit, grain or seeds for planting, with remedial actions required if infested units are found. When used for pre- or at-the-border assurance, detection may result in treatment, destruction or redirection of the consignment, or suspension of the pathway.
- The inspection method must be able to detect an infested commodity with the required sensitivity when applied either as a phytosanitary measure of for assurance.
- Inspection with remedial action can be used as a phytosanitary measure during production or post-production. It can also be used prior to issuance of a phytosanitary certificate by an exporting NPPO, or by importing jurisdictions prior to release of consignments.
- For assurance, record-keeping and audit of inspection procedures and any remedial actions that are taken may be required. Inspection and/or testing should be conducted by trained, authorised personnel and there may be requirements for documenting training and inspection procedures.
Evidence to support efficacy
Inspection needs to be sufficiently sensitive for the intended goal. When applied as a phytosanitary measure, the inspection method must provide sufficient confidence that there are no infested units within the consignment, or that infestation rate is below an accepted threshold. Important considerations include sampling design, sample size and how well the chosen inspection method is at detecting the pest (detection efficacy). For example, a 600-fruit inspection gives a 95% chance of detecting an infestation rate of 1 in 200 fruit, assuming 100% detection efficacy (ISPM 31 and see Pest detection). When applied as a verification or assurance step by importing jurisdictions, non-detections across multiple consignments can provide increased confidence that phytosanitary risks are being effectively managed across the pathway.
Applying the measure
How it is used
Inspection with remedial action can be applied as a phytosanitary measure during production or post-production. It can also be applied as a verification step by the NPPO or relevant authority of the exporting and/or importing jurisdictions. Application as a verification step would not be considered a phytosanitary measure, although it reduces risk in a similar way.
The design of the inspection method needs to be practical to apply within operational settings. A wide range of methods can be applied to estimate infestation rates (or the presence of infested units). They typically involve structured sub-sampling with visual or destructive sampling. In some cases, risk-based sampling is applied to increase the sensitivity of the sampling. For example, if pests cause external damage, then inspection of fruit rejected during the grading process may provide a more sensitive estimate of infestation risk in the packed product.
As a phytosanitary measure, infestation rate can be estimated through inspection conducted during production or post-production, with a remedial action required if a threshold is exceeded. For example, inspections for external pests on fruit may be conducted during packing, with all fruit in the consignment requiring remedial action and re-inspection if infested fruit are detected. Similarly, grain can be inspected whilst in storage and/or in transit, and require fumigation if grain pests are detected. Sub-sampling of seeds for planting to test for pathogens is a common phytosanitary requirement for exporting businesses.
Issuance of a phytosanitary certificate may require the NPPO of the exporting jurisdiction (or NPPO-authorised personnel) to inspect the commodity for pests prior to shipment. Although this primarily serves as an assurance and verification step, it also reduces the risk that highly infested consignments are exported. Often this inspection is undertaken for all quarantine pests of concern. Remedial actions can include re-direction of the consignment, or application of an agreed treatment.
Importing jurisdictions may also choose to undertake inspections of at least a sub-sample of incoming consignments prior to their release. Remedial actions can include destruction or re-direction of the consignment, and discussion with the trading partner to provide the opportunity to investigate the cause of any non-compliances. Further detections may result in suspension of the export pathway until the underlying issues have been identified and addressed. Multiple consecutive inspections of consignments on a specific export pathway over time can also provide further confidence that a pathway is low risk if all consignment inspections are negative. Inspection rates can then be tailored according to the identified level of risk.
Use with other measures
When used as a phytosanitary measure, inspection with remedial action can be a pre-condition for subsequent phytosanitary measures. For example, it may be used to limit the maximum infestation rate of a consignment entering a kill treatment.
Similar measures
Inspection with remedial action can use similar inspection methods as monitoring for Pest Freedom or Low Pest Prevalence. For example, crop inspection used as part of a Low Pest Prevalence Site measure may involve visual inspection of fruit for pests. However, the goal of inspection with remedial action is to directly estimate infestation rate rather than to estimate pest abundance. Nonetheless, the outcome can be the same (e.g. suspension of the registered site or facility).
Symptom grading can also require similar inspection methods, such as visual inspection for external fruit pests, for example. However, when grading, detection of a pest results in the infested unit being removed, rather than an action on the consignment or pathway.
Assurance of correct implementation
Inspections should be conducted by trained, authorised personnel. The technical and operational procedures for inspections may need to be documented in a procedural manual, including any training procedures, equipment used, and competency testing of staff where appropriate. Record-keeping of inspections, pest detections, pest identifications, testing, and any remedial actions taken are generally required. These records may be audited by authorised personnel at an appropriate interval, with oversight by the NPPO or relevant authority of the exporting jurisdiction.