Assessment of phytosanitary laboratories-bacteria

The purpose of the Fostering Agricultural Markets Activity (FARMA) is to provide technical assistance in Bosnia Herzegovina (BiH) subsectors of agriculture markets through demand driven assistance aimed at improved competitiveness of BiH agricultural products. FARMA is to expand environmentally sustainable production, processing and sales of value-added agricultural products. The expected result of FARMA is economic growth and contribution to poverty reduction. FARMA has been working with the BiH Plant Health Administration to assist BiH potato producers meet phytosanitary requirements for the export of potatoes to the EU. With FARMA support, the BiH Plant Health Administration (BiH PHA) has initiated the first national monitoring program in plant health – on quarantine pests of potatoes, as per EU Directives. In coordination with the BiH PHA, FARMA has conducted the first assessment of phytosanitary laboratories in 2010 with an aim to determine which laboratories are best equipped and staffed to meet the requirements of the national monitoring program. A new assessment is required in the first year of the program implementation to determine if the BiH PHA-authorized laboratories are following the required EU standards. Currently, 2 laboratories are authorized by the BiH PHA (Agriculture Institute in Banja Luka and Agriculture Institute in Sarajevo) to undertake analyses in accordance to internationally accepted methods for detection and identification of Clavibacter michiganensis and Ralstonia solanacearum in the first year of implementation of the National Monitoring Program on quarantine pests affecting potatoes.

The purpose of this assignment is to assess the current capacities, procedures and work of phytosanitary laboratories in the first year of implementation of the National Monitoring Program on quarantine pests affecting potatoes to determine if these met the required EU standards.