News Archive

Regional Training Course on Pest Risk Analysis as part of SIT Application, 12 - 16 October 2008, Amman, Jordan
This course was organized by the Agency in cooperation with the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC). Nineteen agency-supported trainees from 15 different Asian countries, and three local professionals took part in the 5-day training course. The objective was to provide information for developing pest risk assessments and training on setting-up suitable phytosanitary measures as part of pest risk management. The pest risk assessment part was based on the PRA training course developed by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). Lectures included: assessing the likelihood of a fruit fly pest introduction, establishment and spread; estimating the economic and environmental consequences of such establishment, and on the currently available options for fruit fly risk management; using case studies of their realistic application in fruit and vegetables producing countries.
(October 2008)

Regional Training Course on Protein Bait Technology for Suppression of Tephritid Fruit Flies as part of SIT Application, 15 - 19 September 2008, Hanoi, Vietnam
This course was conducted under the IAEA Technical Cooperation Project RAS5049 "Sharing Regional Knowledge on the Use of the Sterile Insect Technique within Integrated Area-Wide Fruit Fly Pest Management Programmes. 23 participants from 12 countries attended the training course. The course was focused at providing information about the latest developments and availability of protein bait technology based on the utilization of local yeast waste products, and training on the use of this technology.
(October 2008)

Meeting of the Technical Panel on Pest Free Areas and Systems Approaches for Fruit Flies, 1 - 5 September 2008, Vienna, Austria
The Technical Panel on Pest Free Areas and Systems Approaches for Fruit Flies (TPFF) of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) convened in Vienna from 1-5 September 2008 with the objective to revise the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures draft on Systems Approaches for Pest Risk Management of fruit flies (Tephritidae) and to incorporate production sites and places of production. This standard draft is aimed at providing guidelines for the establishment and use of systems approaches as an option for pest risk management of fruit flies of economic importance to facilitate trade of fresh fruits and vegetables. The final draft prepared will be under further revision by the Technical Panel and its final version is expected to be presented to the IPPC Standards Committee in May 2009.
(October 2008)

Research Coordination Meeting on Applying GIS and Population Genetics for Managing Livestock Insect Pests, 18 - 22 August 2008, Vienna, Austria
Screwworm and tsetse flies cause severe losses to livestock, wildlife and even affect humans. There is broad international consensus that campaigns against such pests should be based on the area-wide concept of integrated pest management (AW-IPM) and that the sterile insect technique (SIT) is to be considered as a key tactic in many situations for creating pest-free areas. In the past years three new tools became available having a big potential to improve the planning and implementation of such AW-IPM-SIT campaigns: a) modelling of pest population dynamics; b) satellite-imagery-derived distribution and prediction maps and data processing by Geographic Information System (GIS); and c) information on population genetics, providing evidence on isolation or confinement of target pest populations. This first research coordination meeting was aimed at refining and standardising these techniques and making them accessible for collaborators in Member States. Seventeen participants from thirteen countries shared information on the status of relevant work done so far, and reviewed research priorities for the coming years.
(September 2008)

Research Coordination Meeting on Molecular technologies to improve the effectiveness of the Sterile Insect Technique, 18 - 22 August 2008, Antigua, Guatemala
This final meeting was organized to review the results obtained during the last two years through research activities on developing the molecular tools that are required to construct improved strains for SIT. Eleven participants from eight countries and eight additional observers from five different countries attended the meeting. Topics discussed were: insect transformation, sex determination, inducible/repressible lethal systems, mating incompatibility via symbionts, the fitness consequences of transgenesis and the creation of refractoriness via symbionts. In parallel, a Consultants Group Meeting was held to review opportunities for implementing a Coordinated Research Project on assessing the potential for improved strains of insect pests for SIT. Four consultants reviewed the state of the art in the field of molecular biology as applied to the improvement of the SIT and based on this assessment, and demands from operational programmes, formulated recommendations for further research.
(September 2008)

Meeting of the Open Ended Working Group to Undertake a Feasibility Study on the International Recognition of Pest Free Areas, 14 - 18 July 2008, Chiang Mai, Thailand
The Commission of Phytosanitary Measures, of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) based at FAO headquarters in Rome, organized this meeting which was attended by 24 participants from 16 countries and three international organizations, FAO, IAEA and OIE. Academics and researchers involved on pest risk analysis were also present. The working group was specially focused on studying the feasibility of establishing a procedure under the IPPC framework for the international recognition of pest free areas (PFA). It was agreed that the establishment of such a procedure would be very useful and that a pilot system should be established for one pest in order to gain experience and confidence. This initiative, however, needs further analysis and development before implementation. Participation of NPPO of importing and exporting countries using area-wide integrated pest control against fruit flies is encouraged because the subject has close relationship with their efforts of boosting export of fruit and vegetables.
(August 2008)

Workshop on Feasibility Study for the Organization of a Labelling Procedure for Research Proposals, FAO, Rome, 24 - 25 June 2008
The workshop, aimed at identifying and agreeing on a procedure for 'branding' or 'labelling' demand-driven livestock research, was organised by "Alive" in collaboration with the European Commission. ALive is a multi-stakeholder 'platform' involving civil international organizations, governments, donors and research organisations, established in 2004 in view of the central role of livestock for development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The meeting concluded that ALive would play an advocacy role in screening and presenting to potential donors research proposals, formulated along the research priorities agreed by the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), Governments and the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA). The meeting outlined criteria and a process based on/along which ALive would eventually undertake the 'branding' or 'labelling' mechanism for agreed priority livestock research topics.
(August 2008)