BACKGROUND

Plants and plant products are an essential economic, environmental and social asset in European Union (EU): cereals, fruit and vegetables make a vital contribution to our food supply and to our rural economy and other plant species are essential parts of the biodiversity of the countryside providing important ecosystem resources.

Plants form the basis of our food chain and they are also a part of the natural EU environment in which we live. Outbreaks of plant diseases may have devastating effects on the quality of our lives and our economy. Plant health pests may affect the livelihoods of farmers, nursery owners or traders, the quality and prices of our food as well as the condition of our forests and parks.

Plant health is a key factor in sustainable and competitive agriculture, horticulture and forestry. A large proportion of the food we consume, and of the feed fed to food producing animals, comes from plants. The introduction and spread of plant pests and diseases among food crops and other plant species, has significant consequences globally for farmers, the seed industry, policy-makers and the general public. Recent evidence confirms that trans-boundary pests and diseases are of increasing importance for crop plant and ecosystem health and that climate change is having an impact. As a consequence, the EU's phytosanitary plant health rules are essential for protecting the health, economy and competitiveness of the EU's plant production sector.

The training aims specifically to increasing knowledge and providing for a common and unambiguous understanding of EU legislation and its' correct and harmonized implementation across the EU. Furthermore, it should allow the exchange of information and experience amongst MS and increase the efficacy of plant health services in:

• Protection of the EU territory against introduction of HO

• Control/Exclusion of the risk of HO associated with plant and plant products moved within the EU

• Detection and eradication of outbreaks of HO in the EU

From 2019 to 2021 the program will offer three different courses of Plant Health Controls:

• Course 1: A total of 4 sessions of 5 days of EU plant quarantine regime for Imports.

• Course 2: A total of 2 sessions of 5 days of EU plant quarantine regime for Non-Timber Forest Products.

• Course 3a A total of 4 sessions of 5 days of Identification and control of outbreaks of harmful organisms: HOs for Agriculture and Horticulture.

• Course 3b: A total of 4 sessions of 5 days of Identification and control of outbreaks of harmful organisms: HOs for Forestry, Natural Environments and Urban Areas.

• Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) - https://www.mapa.gob.es/en/

• Estonian Agricultural Board -  https://www.pma.agri.ee/index.php?main=1

• Agence pour le Développement de la coopération internationale dans les domaines de l´agriculture, de l´alimentation et des espaces ruraux (ADECIA) - http://www.adecia.org/en/about-us/

• Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Latvia - State Plant Protection Service (SPPS) - http://www.vaad.gov.lv/english.aspx 

• State Plant Service. Ministry of Agriculture– SPSMoA. Republic of Lithuania -  http://www.vatzum.lt/en/

• European Forest Nursey Association (EFNA) -http://www.efna.eu/index.php?p0=19

• European Nursery stock Association (ENA) - https://www.enaplants.eu/

The selection criteria to participate in the course are:

• Involved in import controls or in charge of planning/targeting import controls

• Controlling imported WPM and non-timber forest products, and/or supervising the treatment and marking of WPM or in charge of planning/implementation of official controls on WPM and non-timber forest products.

• Responsible (or responsible official bodies) in charge of organizing and implementing harmful organism outbreak control and surveys of harmful organisms.

• Have the capacity to work and make interventions in English language;

• Be compromised to disseminate the knowledge gained (courses, workshops, articles, blogs) in the short medium term once the training ends.