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INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM
FOR RISK-BASED SAMPLING

JUNE 26-30, 2017, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, USA

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The International Symposium for Risk-Based Sampling (RBS) organized by the NAPPO RBS Steering Committee and the NAPPO Secretariat with additional assistance from USDA-APHIS successfully concluded on June 30, 2017.  The primary objective of the Symposium was to promote harmonization though a common understanding and shared experiences in the implementation of International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) 23 (Guidelines for Inspection) and 31 (Methodologies for sampling of consignments).

The symposium was attended by 122 participants from 27 countries around the world.  Symposium speakers and participants included professionals representing 31 government agencies, 4 academic institutions, 15 industries and 3 international organizations. A complete list of participants can be found on this page.

Inspection is the most frequently employed phytosanitary measure and “next steps” for hundreds of consignments in ports around the world is decided every day based on inspection of both the certification of exports and the clearance of imports. By designing inspection processes around basic statistical concepts, inspection programs are able to better identify and rank non-compliant imports.  Ranking based on pest interceptions that require action helps inspectors and policy makers identify riskier imports and then adjust resources and policies to maximize the effectiveness of inspection.

Highlights from the Symposium included an introduction by Dr. Jingyuan Xia, Secretary of the IPPC;  welcoming remarks by Osama El-Lissy, Deputy Administrator for USDA-APHIS-PPQ, and  Dr. Francisco Javier Trujillo Arriaga, Director General de Sanidad Vegetal, SENASICA, Mexico; a cognitive mapping exercise on RBS led by Dr. Neil McRoberts from UC Davis; a practical exercise comparing the results of RBS and traditional percentage-based inspection; and an informal session moderated by Lois Ransom, Assistant Secretary Plant Import Operations, Australia where selected participants provided ideas towards the design of a practical manual on Risk-Based Sampling.

Please visit the links provided here to learn more about the RBS Symposium, including final speaker presentations, final list of participants, the Risk-Based Sampling online training module, photographs taken during the event and pdfs of published articles and adopted international standards on inspection (ISPM 23) and sampling (ISPM 31).