IPPC highlights plant health’s central role in One Health at EU Committee meeting

19 February, Brussels. The Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) underscored the essential role of plant health in the One Health approach during a meeting of the “Working Party on Plants and Plant Health Questions (COPHS)”, held under the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), and chaired by Anthemisis Melifrondou.

Sarah Brunel, Lead of the Implementation and Facilitation Unit at the IPPC Secretariat, participated in the session and presented ongoing work in the area, with a focus on consolidating plant health’s standing as an operational pillar within the One Health agenda, especially in light of the upcoming One Health Summit in France.

Raschad Al-Khafaji, Director of the FAO Liaison Office in Brussels, also attended the meeting and voiced support for IPPC’s ongoing engagement on this topic.

Showcasing why plant health is relevant for One Health

In her intervention, Brunel delivered a presentation highlighting how plant health forms an essential component of the One Health approach. She provided updates from IPPC’s participation in the FAO One Health Technical Working Group on One Health. Additionally, she outlined progress from the CPM Focus Group on Plant Health in One Health, which recently launched a public awareness “mini-survey” and is finalizing a study in collaboration with national plant protection organizations. This work is deliberate in its timing - the findings and tools facilitate positioning plant health as a recognized, operational pillar within the One Health agenda ahead of the upcoming One Health Summit in France.

“The forthcoming recommendations from the study will emphasize the Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation (PCE) as a critical One Health tool, reinforcing the need for strong and resilient national phytosanitary systems”, Brunel noted.

How IPPC activities support One Health

Brunel highlighted several flagship IPPC tools and programmes that bring the One Health approach into practical application within national phytosanitary systems, including:

• IPPC Plant Health Campus: Developed with support from the European Commission, the Campus builds the phytosanitary knowledge and skills, particularly in areas such as surveillance, diagnostics and risk analysis - enabling practitioners to engage more effectively in One Health implementation at country level.
• Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation (PCE): PCE provides a structured framework for countries to assess and strengthen their phytosanitary systems, helping identify gaps and opportunities relevant to One Health outcomes.
• IPPC Pest Outbreak Alert and Response Systems (POARS): POARS supports early awareness, preparedness and coordinated response to emerging pest threats, contributing to broader One Health risk management.
• Safe humanitarian aid: IPPC activities support the integration of phytosanitary safeguards into emergency and humanitarian operations, helping to reduce pest-related risks associated with the movement of relief materials and to protect food security and ecosystem integrity.
• ePhyto Solution: International Trade is one of the primary vectors through which plant pests spread - and therefore one of the most consequential One Health pressure points in agrifood systems. The ePhyto Solution makes safe trade faster, more transparent and more traceable. A new European Commission-funded project to roll out ePhyto in Central African and EU countries was highlighted as a concrete example.
• Antimicrobial use (AMU) IPPC Observatory study: Antimicrobial resistance is one of the defining One Health challenges. The Study on AMU patterns in plant and agrifood systems - expected for publication around June - will generate evidence strengthening the scientific case for plant health’s inclusion in One Health policy frameworks.

IPPC and EU Member States aligned on strengthening plant health in One Health

EU Member States and other participants expressed appreciation for the IPPC work and requested additional information on both the One Health mini-survey and the inFARM questionnaire. Delegates also conveyed enthusiasm for the upcoming International Day of Plant Health, which Cyprus will host a celebration this year.

The engagement signals growing recognition that resilient phytosanitary systems are not only essential for safeguarding crops and trade, but also for reducing broader risks across agrifood systems. The exchange reflected growing recognition of the importance of resilient phytosanitary systems within the broader One Health agenda.

IPPC tools and initiatives were highlighted as practical mechanisms that can support countries in integrating plant health considerations into One Health implementation. By contributing plant health expertise into EU-level discussions, the IPPC continues to support informed policy dialogue with operational experience from the phytosanitary community.

The meeting reaffirmed the strategic alignment between IPPC activities, the EU agenda, and FAO’s Strategic Framework 2022-2031, and contributes to ongoing discussions ahead of the One Health Summit in France, where plant health perspectives are expected to play an increasingly important role.