Against

To Guard Against Various Pests

STRICTER, more uniform plant and animal quarantine measures at air ports throughout the South Pacific were strongly urged at the Plant and Animal Quarantine Conference held at Suva from April 2 to 11.

This was one of many recommendations made by the 20 experts nominated by the six Governments with territorial respon sibilities in the South Pacific—Australia.

France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States.

The Conference, which was convened by the South Pacific Commission, was formally opened by the Governor of Fiji (Sir Brian Freeston) who is United King dom Senior Commissioner on the Com mission. Dr. H. G. MacMillan, Executive Officer for Economic Development, was Chairman.

The Conference sought to bring greater unity into the quarantine procedures in the various territories; to emphasise the necessity for the protection of agriculture and flocks and herds in these areas from transmissible diseases and pests; and to identify the many diseases and pests which constitutes a risk within and beyond their borders. The job of the Conference was to make definite recommendations on control and quarantine to the Commission so that it may advise the Governments.

Co-operation with other territories when framing or amending legislation for quarantine measures has been recom mended, and careful lists have been com piled, both by the veterinarian and pathological divisions of the Conference, which show the representative diseases of animals and plants that each territorial administration should guard against.

Rinderpest, glanders, and foot-and-mouth diseases in animals, and fruit fly, rhinoceros beetle, and the swollen shoot disease of cocoa plants, are examples of the many diseases dealt with, and against which measures of quarantine and pro hibition have been strongly advocated.

THE experts were seriously concerned With problems arising from the im portation of fodder, and straw pack ing materials for a wide range of imported goods. Very serious risks of introducing weeds, insect pests, and plant and animal diseases will occur unless such materials are introduced under the strictest quaran tine supervision. Rice straw, chaff and and leaves are particularly dangerous items among disease-carriers.

The Commission is being requested to provide a complete list of diseases, para sites and pests of major importance in animals and plants in individual terri tories, and to keep the list up to date by arranging for monthly reports (and in urgent cases by cable) from each Island group.

Ornamental plants may act as alternate hosts for some serious insect pests and diseases of economic plants, and flower ing plants may even become weeds in new surroundings. Various quarantine measures to deal with these risks have been recommended.

The incidence of disease and pests within the region of the South Pacific is not uniform. Because of the relative isolation of some areas, the spread from territory to territory can be indefinitely postponed or entirely prevented by adequate quarantine action by the various administrative bodies in all territories.

In respect of air communications, de tailed suggestions have been made regard

ing both military and civil aircraft and airfields, controlled plantings on or in the vicinity of airfields, the establishment of adequate fumigation and incineration facilities and the proper insecticidal treatment of aircraft at airports of entry.

The experts felt that the Canference filled a long-felt need for area-wide con sultation and successfully gave opportunity for them to define the concrete action the Governments should take to protect the main wealth of the South Pacific peoples—their agriculture and stock. By its nature, the problem is one for concerted action and continuous co-operation, such as the founders of the Commission envisaged.