SPS Module 2 Logo. SPS Module 2 Logo.
SPS Online.
Principles of the SPS Agreement.
APHIS and the General Approval Process.
Overview.
PPQ, VS and IS.
Other Agencies.
Plants and Plant Products.
Request to Export or Import.
Enterable Commodities.
Denial and Risk Assessment Determination.
Risk Assessment.
Entry with Inspection.
Mitigating Risk.
The Rulemaking Process.
Animals and Animal Products.
Regionalization.
Regionalization Request.
Regionalization Approval.
Risk Classification and Management.
Argentine Beef Example.
Conclusion.
Handouts.
Rulemaking Process.
Request Requirements.
Approval Process.

Plants and Plant Products

Risk Assessment

If the decision is to proceed with a risk assessment, it becomes the responsibility of a two-person team made up of an entomologist and a plant pathologist in the Scientific Group. They work under the guiding SPS Principle of Risk Assessment which is to use scientific data and methodologies for import decisions. This process take several years.

The pest risk analysis is done in three stages according to the FAO Guidelines for Pest Risk Analysis:

Stage 1: Initiating the process for analyzing pest risk (identifying pests or pathways for which the pest risk analysis is needed).

Stage 2: Assessing pest risk (determining which pests are quarantine pests, characterized in terms of likelihood of entry, establishment, spread, and economic importance).

Stage 3: Managing pest risk (developing, evaluating, comparing and selecting options for dealing with the risk).

Risk assessment is one of the key concepts and methods used to determine whether an animal or plant commodity can be considered enterable, or approved for importation into the United States. Risk assessment for exotic pests and diseases is generally described as the process of evaluating the likelihood of the entry, establishment, and spread of a pest or disease within a country and the potential consequences of such a spread.

Risk assessment also involves assessing the reliability of data by evaluating the quality of the surveillance system in a given country. Some of the specifics of the way risk assessments are conducted in the animal and plant areas are covered in this module; however, there will not be a detailed technical description. For those interested in learning more about risk assessments, there are workshops on that subject that usually last several days.

The crux of the risk assessment process is the gathering of information. The PPQ Scientific Group's objective is to gather this information as quickly as possible so that the process can move forward.After completing the risk assessment the Scientific Group makes recommendations regarding the entry status of the commodity. They may recommend entry with inspection, under specific condition of treatment or certification, or to deny entry. There is an internal PPQ review process that follows. They may call upon the Agricultural Research Service (which is separate from APHIS) for input prior to making a final determination.