The Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has published a revised International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM No. 3) on Guidelines for the export, shipment, import, and release of biological control agents and other beneficial organisms (50), which should also help AMS to solve some of the problems and increase transboundary trade in BCA. The OECD recommendations on data requirements of invertebrate biocontrol agents (IBCA) and microbials also cover trade issues. It is suggested that with native or long-established IBCA, exemption or substantially reduced information requirements may be appropriate. However, both of these guidelines only refer to living organisms (e.g. self-replicating micro-organisms, macro-organisms including arthropods). Trade in non-living control agents (botanicals, semiochemicals, etc.), is not covered. A majority of the AMS impose an import tax on BCA similar to conventional pesticides, irrespective of the origin of the product. Some AMS actively encourage commercial production of BCA locally. Reduced trade barriers in the advent of the ASEAN Economic Community could perhaps mean that local production could benefit from this and that trade of BCA inside ASEAN could be stimulated. It could be also considered to tax BCA differently as they come along with much less of the negative externalities attributed to conventional pesticide use. It has recently been proposed to impose an environmental tax on synthetic pesticides and at the same time encourage the use of non-chemical 48 alternatives (07). Finally, it is important to recognise the activities of national institutions involved in trade of BCA (e.g. the phytosanitary and regulatory departments, biosafety commissions, ministries of trade and industry, etc.) within the AMS. Below is a list of relevant agencies and, where available, steps involved in the import and export of BCA: • Brunei Darussalam: For import, a ‘Poison License’ must first be obtained from the Ministry of Health, which coordinates with DoAA (Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources) as Agrochemical Experts for approval and Agrochemical Import Permit. Taxation and declaration of goods are dealt with by Customs and Excise Department under the Ministry of Finance. • Cambodia: Import; once registration of a product has been successful, the form ‘import’ has to be completed. An import license is then issued by MAFF (Department of Agricultural Legislation - DAL). • Indonesia: Import and export of product is within the framework of the Indonesia National Single Window (INSW) of the Ministry of Trade. Import is dependent on the recommendation from the BCA committee under the quarantine agency. Precondition is the registration, which is issued by the MoA based on the evaluation of the Pesticide Committee. Export also requires a registration with the MoA. • Lao PDR: The DOA is responsible for import and export of pesticide products. The DOA issues registration certificates, import and export licenses. The Department of Trade under the Ministry of Industry & Trade is responsible for regulating manufacturers and their buildings. Taxation is dealt with by the Department of Customs under the Ministry of Finance. • Malaysia: Import licenses are issued by the Pesticide Board or Plant Biosecurity Division (whichever relevant). Customs and MAQIS check the product at the entry point. For export, the requirements of the importing country have to be observed.
Implementing Biological Control Agents in the ASEAN Region
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