Lesson 2: Principles of a PFA
Topic 1: Creating and Operating a PFA
In this lesson, you will be introduced to the basic principles and steps required to create and operate a PFA.
Objectives:
- Participants will be able to describe the situational factors that must be considered when creating a PFA.
- Participants will be able to explain the ongoing four-step process required for operating and maintaining a PFA.
Appropriate circumstances for utilizing a PFA
Even though having a PFA has many advantages, creating a PFA is not always the best decision due to the high-level of resources required to achieve and maintain pest control. Your government and NPPO will need to decide if creating a PFA is appropriate for your country’s unique situation and the pest you are trying to exclude. If declaring an area pest-free is feasible, it is also important to consider what type of pest-free approach is appropriate. There are many different types, and no two PFA programs are exactly the same. Later in this module, you will learn about specific types of PFA and the factors that make each type appropriate for a variety of situations. However, there are general factors and methods that must be considered for all programs regardless of type.
Before creating a PFA, you must examine current physical, pest biology, human, and operational factors to determine whether a PFA is appropriate for the situation. Click on the boxes below to further explore these factors.
Once you have considered the entire scope of pest, physical, human, and operational factors, you will be better able to make an informed decision about creating a PFA.
Operating a PFA
As you have learned, it can be very beneficial to have pest-free areas as long as the situation is appropriate. If you decide that circumstances are favorable to create a PFA, each one must be managed with a plan that is suited to its particular situation. However, all officially recognized PFAs, no matter the circumstances, must have a system with rigorous methods in place to establish, maintain, verify, and document the PFA.
Click on the boxes below to learn more.
There are many resources that can help you plan your own program for establishing, maintaining, and verifying a PFA. The IPPC website has several ISPM documents that describe various aspects of pest-free concepts. In particular ISPM 4, ISPM 10, and ISPM 22 are very useful. Additionally, some countries have resources that provide practical information for controlling pests significant to national agricultural production on their NPPO’s websites. These NPPO websites can also be reliable resources for pest-free concepts.
In this topic, you learned that no matter what PFA program is being applied, there are four steps that must be carried out in order to successfully operate it. These are: establish, maintain, verify, and document.
To continue, select Topic 2 from the Topics menu above or click here.