11/02/07 NAPPO; Cooperating to protect plants

Farm and Ranch November 2, 2007 If every country had different standards, procedures and protocols for testing and identifying plant pests trade might not flow too smoothly between them. Those type of obstacles are exactly what the North American Plant Protection Organization, NAPPO, is designed to overcome for its members the United States, Canada and Mexico. Matt Harris, Director of Trade for the Washington State Potato Commission recently attended the NAPPO annual meeting where they work on harmonizing pest testing and identification protocols. Harris: "And why that is important to us is that it helps again make sure trade, so there is no questioning the validity of a test, to make sure trade between nations is fluid. And so that for potatoes, that means that when our potatoes go to either Mexico or Canada, and if there is a pest of concern that they do find, we are assured that under these standards there was a correct identification." Proper identification is important to protect the potato industry too. Harris: "For example if there is a pest find in Canada, says in their seed system, there are proper identification and protocols in place to make sure that pest does not spread throughout the United States." In fact Canada recently informally announced the discovery of a possible Golden Nematode or Pale Cyst Nematode in a seed field in Alberta. That's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report. Brought to you in part by the Washington State Potato Commission. Nutrition today! Good health tomorrow! I'm Bob Hoff on the Northwest Ag Information Network.