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About the Manual

This regional operations manual began as linked modules of the procedures and reference data needed to fulfil a biosecurity service’s obligations for technically valid sanitary (zoo-sanitary and phytosanitary) measures at national and international levels. With the addition of many reference texts and links to databases and other information, the manual became more than an aid to day-to-day quarantine activities; it became a broad information system for use in all areas of biosecurity.

In plain language, this manual serves as a reference to the biosecurity information facility web-based information system. It shows how to operate a biosecurity service, as required by  trading partners, and provides standard biosecurity operations procedures at the work-face. The manual also provides  information that provides officers with technical and legal guidance and support for the decisions you may make at critical points in the process of import and export clearance of all types of commodities.

SCOPE:

A biosecurity service has national responsibility for border control. This manual covers the import and export inspection of plants, animals and animal products at seaports, airports and mail exchanges. It also covers issues relating to alien invasive species when they are not specifically covered by sanitary and phytosanitary legislation under the jurisdiction of national animal and plant health authorities.

The manual is divided into sections so that a biosecurity officer can identify specific areas of operation and use the recommended steps in the inspection and clearance process to undertake the regulatory functions efficiently. Other officials can use the information to determine the basis for the measures taken, and the legal and operational context.

The intention is to present this manual as a comprehensive framework that is in compliance with phytosanitary, zoo-sanitary and environmental international requirements so that individual countries can modify (adopt, reject or alter) the text to match their national policy and capability.

The manual is designed so that the biosecurity officer can quickly locate the relevant section of the manual that has information on the activities to be undertaken at a particular location, based on the type of commodity or activity. It also provides references to national biosecurity legislation and international standards.

The complete manual is  a regional template to assist Pacific Island countries and territories develop national biosecurity operation procedures and thus enhance compliance to national legal systems and international standards. It will be maintained by those responsible for the development of biosecurity policy as a record of the technical decisions made and the implementation of biosecurity measures in accordance with government policy, guidelines and capability, and in accordance also with the legal framework of the country that adopts this format.

To be comprehensive in covering biosecurity, the manual also covers the administrative operational activities that may be delegated to the biosecurity service by other government agencies that have joint responsibility for the protection of the environment, such as the administration of the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

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