Managing Biosecurity Across Borders

Managing Biosecurity Across Borders Ian Falk • Ruth Wallace • Marthen L. Ndoen Editors Managing Biosecurity Across Borders Editors Ian Falk Ruth Wallace Charles Darwin University Charles Darwin University School of Education School of Education Ellengowan Drive Ellengowan Drive 0909 Darwin Northern Territory 0909 Darwin Northern Territory Australia Australia [email protected] [email protected] Marthen L. Ndoen Satya Wacana Christian University Economic Department and Post Graduate Development Studies Jl. Diponegoro 52–60, Salatiga 50711 Indonesia [email protected] ISBN 978-94-007-1411-3 e-ISBN 978-94-007-1412-0 DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-1412-0 Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg London New York Library of Congress Control Number: 2011932494 © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011 No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Foreword In this era of globalization, the prefix ‘bio’ is widely used in words such asbiotech - nology, biodiversity, biosafety, biosecurity, bioimperialism, biopiracy, biodemoc- racy, biocide and bioterrorism. New terms will no doubt continue to emerge. The emergence of these ‘bio’ words is a sign of the importance of biological resources in national development and in competition between nations. Nations that can effec- tively control and manage biological resources in a sustainable manner will survive and develop in this era of globalization. These terms appear in response to emerging issues facing people and nations who seek to maximize their control, use and management of natural resources. Biosecurity: The Reality The definitions of these ‘bio’ terms overlap and are interrelated. Before we can discuss the issue of ‘biosecurity’ in this book, we must first agree on what this term encompasses so that our discussion can be based on a common understanding. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), biosecurity itself can be defined as a strategic and integrated approach, covering policy and regulatory frameworks, to analyze and manage risks on food safety as well as environmental risk associated with the life and health of human being, animal and plant. Therefore, we can say that biosecurity is actually a holistic concept that is related to the sustainability of agriculture, food safety, and the protection of the environment, including biodiversity. The issue of biosecurity has actually been evolving for some time and has been the subject of analysis since agricultural products began flowing between countries more than 100 years ago. Agricultural quarantine systems were established and implemented by many countries before 1900. The aim of agricultural quarantine programs is to prevent the introduction of new plant and animal pests and diseases to countries through the import or export of fresh or processed agricultural products. International regulations and agreements were made within the International v vi Foreword Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) forum which was established by FAO during the 1950s. Standards, guidelines, recommendations and procedures for the protection of human health, food security and mitigation of risk (negative side effects) resulting from the movement of food and agricultural products have long been analyzed and developed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) which was formed by FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) in the 1950s. The International Office of Epizootics (IOE) regulates international trade of animals to reduce risks towards the life and health of animals in the countries involved in the import and export of animals. The integration of various issues relating to the protection of human, animal, plant and environmental health has brought biosafety into the spotlight since the World Trade Organization (WTO) adopted standards, guidelines, recommendations and procedures that were established by the IPPC, CAC, IOE and other international organizations such as the OECD and IFOAM as conditions of global trade, particularly for food and agriculture products. Infestation by genetically modified organisms (GMO) or Invasive Alien Species (IAS) pose a threat to biodiversity, food security and the environment and they are therefore discussed as part of biosecurity. FAO conclude that ‘biosecurity’ is the management of biological threats to food and agriculture. However, regardless of their humanitarian campaigns, developed countries often use the issue of biosecurity through the international standards, regulations, laws and policies to prevent the introduction of agricultural products from outside and to improve their own exports. In the era of globalization, biosecurity which is actually a part of applied biology has been politicized as it relates to industrialized and developing countries competing for international trade. In international discussions, this competition is often described as competition between the North (developed countries) and the South (developing countries). For example, Indonesia as a developing country has no comprehensive or integrated national policy regarding biosecurity. This is because it is only relatively recently (in 2003) that the FAO established a standard definition for the terms biodiversity and biosecurity. Furthermore, the main biosecurity issue that contin- ues to cause problems for Indonesia is in fact the increasing difficulty in exporting agricultural, livestock, forestry and fisheries products to the United States, the European Union and Japan. These countries have good infrastructure with strict regulations and enforcement of biosecurity measures in accordance with the applicable international standards and regulations mentioned previously. Many agricultural, fisheries and forestry products are prohibited from entering these countries in the name of biosecurity and with good scientific reasons. Rejection can take the form of fines/sanctions, reduced prices or total prohibition of goods entering the country. Many of Indonesia’s food product exports contain residual amounts of dangerous substances such as pesticides, heavy metals, dyes and antibiotics that exceed Maximum Residue Limits of the target countries. Many products have also not been certified with a Plant Health Certificate, or contain the remains of insects or Foreword vii signs of infestation by diseases and infections, or they originate from areas that are known to have specific diseases or pests. Indonesian farmers are not yet able to meet the criteria of the strict food safety standards within the EuropeGAP (Europe Good Agriculture Practices) which have been in place in the European Union since 2005. Indonesia is also unfortunate because it can’t apply the same criteria set by those developed countries above. Indonesia’s regulations and infrastructure are not suffi- cient or accredited and the quality of professional human resources for monitoring and enforcement of regulations is extremely lax. The majority of the Indonesian population lives in rural areas, deriving their livelihood from traditional agricultural activities. Furthermore, most of Indonesia’s rural areas are isolated where most of their populations are generally subsistence farmers and therefore do not produce food and agricultural products for export or even for local markets, but commonly only for their own consumption. Even worse, in euphoria with decentralization, many autonomous provincial and district/municipality governments deliver policies that in one way or another in conflict with the principles of biosecurity. These types of communities are not ready to enter the era of global free trade and are not yet ready to face issues of biosecurity. Additionally, the movement of Indonesian agricultural products has resulted in many bad experiences due to the accidental introduction of dangerous and invasive plant and animal diseases, which have destroyed farming and livestock industries. Consequently, Indonesia until now has not been able to make proper use of the various agreements and regulations relating to biosecurity, biosafety and food safety to limit the flow and domination of international agricultural products into domestic markets. In short, it can be concluded that overall Indonesia is not ready and not capable of becoming part of the era of biosecurity to any significant extent. Compared to developed countries, and several of its neighbors such as Thailand and Malaysia, Indonesia is far behind on these issues and needs cooperation between the relevant parties to help overcome deficiencies in the implementation of global biosecurity measures. The Book and Its Contribution It is then the role of higher education institutions to explore the local indigenous practices and knowledge, and develop it to overcome all biosecurity related issues. We use the term, biosecurity, since we are not only tackling the shortage of appro- priate food for the people but culturally we empower the local people to fulfill their need properly using local indigenous practices. The mission of Indonesian higher education institutions are namely education, research, and community development.

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