Overview
Infestation risk is reduced through imposing quality specifications on the traded commodity.
- Examples include not permitting export of cracked, damaged or bruised fruit that have a higher risk of infestation, only permitting movement of healthy plants, and ensuring that sea containers are well maintained.
- Evaluating the efficacy of this measure requires knowledge of the relationship between damage and infestation risk, and evidence that the quality grading processes are sufficiently accurate to exclude those high-risk items.
- The quality of the export standard commodity, including any commercial grading practices, are typically identified at the scoping stage of an import risk analysis and considered in the estimation of unrestricted risk in a pest risk assessment. It can be applied as a phytosanitary measure where quality specifications are required.
- For assurance, compliance with any quality specifications can be assessed at a pre-border inspection by authorised personnel, with oversight by the NPPO or relevant authority of the exporting jurisdiction.
Evidence to support efficacy
Scientific evidence is required to quantify the relationship between quality and infestation risk, and to demonstrate that those high-risk units are effectively graded out. The relationship between damage and infestation risk can be determined experimentally and through field survey. For fruit flies, studies comparing infestation in undamaged and punctured fruit are common. Considerations and experimental methods are similar to those applied in host or carrier studies. The relative risk of different types of damage, such as cracked skin relative to discolouration or blemishes, may also need to be considered.
Evidence may also be required that the grading process is sufficiently sensitive and consistent in detecting and removing damaged commodity units under operational conditions. This should consider the operational capability of the producer(s) as well as the need to limit waste by minimising “false positives”.
Applying the measure
How it is used
Quality specifications are commonly set for commercial purposes. For example, fruit generally needs to be free of damage to survive storage and transport, and to meet market demands. Quality specifications can be particularly stringent for high-value export markets. The role that these commercial quality specifications have in reducing infestation risk can be considered in a pest risk assessment.
Quality specifications can also be applied as a phytosanitary measure where they can be shown to consistently reduce infestation risks. However, quality specifications on their own are rarely sufficient to manage phytosanitary risks. Quality standards are often required as general export or import conditions. For example, fruit is expected to be free of surface damage, sea containers must be undamaged, or plants must be healthy.
Use with other measures
Quality specifications are commonly considered together with developmental stage as the export standard quality of the commodity.
Similar measures
Quality specifications is closely related to, and sometimes considered as a component of, the host or carrier measure. It is also functionally similar to developmental stage.
Quality specifications and symptom grading measures (both manual and autonomous) can be applied at the same time, for example when grading fruit within a packhouse. However, they reduce risk in different ways. Applying quality specifications reduces risk within the consignment by excluding commodity units that have a higher risk of being infested. For example, fruit with splits that pest insects can lay eggs into. This quality grading occurs even if no fruit is infested. Symptom grading aims to specifically remove infested commodity units based on visual evidence of infestation.
Assurance of correct implementation
For assurance, there may be requirements for training and standard operating procedures to ensure that the commodity is graded consistently. Compliance against any grading specifications may be assessed as part of a pre-border consignment inspection by authorised personnel, with oversight by the NPPO or relevant authority of the exporting jurisdiction. Regular calibration exercises and proficiency testing among inspectors and the automated grading systems can help maintain consistency and accuracy in the application of grading standards, particularly when subjective assessments of quality or symptoms are required.