Like many other island nations, Cyprus has been fortunate in having kept itself free from many plant pests (this term also includes plant pathogens). However, modern methods of rapid transport for living plants and plant produce (often in controlled environmental conditions) and the growth of trade with diverse and distant parts of the world have greatly increased the risk of introducing plant pests to areas from which they were absent. Cyprus has experienced many instances where this has happened in recent years. The ornamentals import trade, which has expanded greatly with the growth in tourism, is an example of a pathway by which some may have arrived. The Government of Cyprus felt, therefore, that there was an urgent need to strengthen plant quarantine capabilities in the country in line with current concepts in quarantine methods, to ensure that quarantine measures would not be undue obstacles to trade and that they would be based on current internationally agreed principles. There was also a desire to bring the country's plant quarantine laws and operational systems into harmony with those of the European Union (EU), with a view to eventual membership. In this context, the Government of Cyprus requested the assistance of FAO to strengthen its plant quarantine services by updating the quarantine legislation, improving quarantine inspection and treatment capacities and upgrading the skills of the technical staff through appropriate training.
This assistance was approved by FAO on 28 December 1995 under the Technical Cooperation Programme project TCP/CYP/4552, Strengthening Plant Quarantine Capabilities, Legislation and Training, and the Project Agreement was signed on behalf of FAO and the Government of Cyprus on 23 January 1996. The project, originally estimated to begin in January 1996 and end in January 1997, was actually carried out from March 1996 to March 1997, with a total FAO contribution of $US 155 000. The Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment (MANRE) was designated the government agency responsible for project execution. The project provided the services of three international consultants, specialists in plant quarantine, plant protection legislation and entomology, for periods totalling five weeks each.
The objectives of the project were to strengthen the plant quarantine capabilities of Cyprus by:
- assisting in the revision and drafting of plant quarantine legislation;
- assessing and improving the technical needs of the Plant Quarantine Service; and
- training plant protection staff in quarantine operations.
The project was expected to implement pest risk analysis (PRA) and other concepts in quarantine and to train approximately 25 quarantine officers and 3 senior officers in quarantine methods.
The project was based in Nicosia, and the work was carried out in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment. Briefing and protocol meetings were attended with senior officials at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), MANRE headquarters and the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism (MCIT), Nicosia. Places of plant quarantine interest were visited, including the Plant Quarantine Station, Kornos, the ports of Larnaca and Limassol, the airport of Larnaca, the potato packing house, Larnaca, TKM Nurseries, Nisou, the Agricultural Research Institute, Athalassa, Karmi Unifruit and House & Garden, Limassol, the government farms at Athalassa and Pafos, and Areriou Nursery, Pafos. Visits were also made to potato, citrus, table grape and banana production areas. On the legal side, meetings were held with government officials from MANRE and MCIT as well as the Law Office of the Republic (Attorney General's Department) and with the management of private businesses in the plant production, packing and export industries. The plant health legislation of Cyprus was reviewed and a draft plant quarantine law, incorporating the earlier work of the members of the MANRE Plant Protection Division, was prepared by the FAO legal consultant and discussed with MANRE and other officials. Training in plant quarantine was provided in the form of a four-day course for 25 officers held at the Agricultural Research Institute in March 1997, a study tour to the UK and the Netherlands for two officers in April 1997, and a FAO fellowship for 3 months for one officer, held at the Central Science Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, the UK, from April to July 1997.
The Plant Quarantine Consultant/Team Leader visited the plant quarantine facilities and advised on their improvement; reviewed the technical aspects of the quarantine laws and regulations including the quarantine pest lists and, in close coordination with the legal consultant, made recommendations on their improvement.
He reviewed and finalized the provisional list of equipment and materials; assisted in identifying the plant protection officers who would undertake the study tour and the fellowship; prepared a syllabus for a two-week training course; and advised on the establishment of a pest detection and survey programme.
The Legal Consultant reviewed and analysed the existing legal and institutional framework related to plant protection, with special emphasis on plant quarantine, and identified the needs of the Plant Protection Services of the Department of Agriculture and the objectives of the Government. In the light of the foregoing, she advised on the necessary amendments to the existing legislation and on the drafting of appropriate new legislative instruments (laws and regulations, as appropriate).
The Entomology Consultant reviewed the information available to determine insect and mite species present in Cyprus and, on this basis, recommended the updating of quarantine pest lists. He also visited the plant quarantine facilities and made suggestions on their improvement; and advised on the establishment of a pest detection, survey programme and methods of pest risk analysis. He assisted the Plant Quarantine Consultant in the preparation of the equipment list; and participated in the two-week training course, providing the quarantine entomology aspects of the course.
The Plant Quarantine Service suffers at present from its functions being divided between two different ministries (MANRE and the MCIT) and because in many cases the same individuals carry out both plant quarantine enforcement and plant protection advisory duties. The lack of a single administrative head of plant quarantine may make it difficult for Cyprus to become a signatory to the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and to harmonize with the European Union plant health regime. The Plant Quarantine Service needs to enact the draft Plant Quarantine Act provided by FAO to bring the service into line with the principles embodied in the IPPC and the WTO Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement. Charging growers for plant quarantine services could both recoup part of the expenditure on these and focus attention on whether all the current activities are necessary. Formulation of the regulations to the draft Plant Quarantine Act will require careful consideration by the Government of Cyprus of which plant pests should be considered plant quarantine pests and which commodities should require a phytosanitary certificate. There are notable gaps in technical expertise in the fields of bacteriology and entomology diagnosis. The long-term freeze on recruitment in the Cypriot civil service has created a potentially disastrous situation, as a very large proportion of officers is due to retire at about the same time. This could create a major lack of continuity and expertise in many areas. There is also a lack of easily accessible records for pest interceptions and of entomological reference collections. There are insufficient computing resources available for record keeping and communications. The Plant Quarantine Station at Kornos is well sited and with some refurbishment could provide an excellent facility sufficient for the whole country.
It is recommended that a unified national Plant Quarantine Service be created, managed by a single senior officer and staffed by dedicated officers not involved with extension work. The Produce Inspection Service facilities should be transferred to the ownership and control of the unified Plant Quarantine Service. National policy decisions and management of the Plant Quarantine Service should be the responsibility of the Plant Quarantine Advisory Board created under the new Plant Quarantine Act. The Government should consider introducing charges for plant quarantine services.
The scientists in the Plant Protection Section and in the Agricultural Research Institute should be brought closer together by transferring the diagnostic laboratories from the headquarters buildings to the Agricultural Research Institute.
It is recommended that the Government of Cyprus enact the new Plant Quarantine Act and formulate such regulations as are immediately necessary without delay. All future regulations under the new Plant Quarantine Act should continue the process begun in the Act of harmonizing the legislation of Cyprus with that of the European Union, step-by-step over several years. Priority should be given to those measures which are the most relevant in providing effective phytosanitary protection for Cyprus. It is suggested that the officer who was awarded the FAO fellowship for training in plant quarantine be given special responsibility for drafting these provisions.
It would be advisable for Cyprus to apply to become a signatory of the International Plant Protection Convention and to participate more frequently in the activities of the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization.
In order to strengthen technical capability, voluntary early retirement should be offered to some officers to permit more appointments of younger staff in the near future, including some with entomological and bacteriological expertise.
More detailed recommendations are given in the interim and final technical reports and the legal report of the FAO consultants, detailing their findings and conclusions (see Appendix).
Strengthening plant quarantine capabilities, legislation and training, Republic of Cyprus. Interim report. D.L. Ebbels and C.E. Miller. FAO, Rome, 1996. 43 pp.
Strengthening plant quarantine capabilities, legislation and training, Republic of Cyprus. Final technical report. D.L. Ebbels and C.E. Miller. FAO, Rome, 1997. 48 pp.
Strengthening plant quarantine capabilities - legislation and training, Republic of Cyprus (interim report). J.C. Vapnek. FAO, Rome, 1996. 34 pp.
Strengthening plant quarantine capabilities - legislation and training, Republic of Cyprus (final report). J.C. Vapnek. FAO, Rome, 1997. 32 pp.
