2^nd Meeting of the ad hoc Panel on technical requirements for laboratories

Paris, 2005-02-02/04

The 2^nd  Meeting of the ad hoc Panel on Technical Requirements for Laboratories met in Paris, at the French Ministry of Agriculture. The Panel continued to work on a common interpretation of the ISO/IEC Standard 17025 for the diagnostic of plant pests. The EPPO Secretariat will modify the draft according to the discussions held in the Panel and circulate it to the Panel members. A finalized version will be presented to the Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations which will decide whether it is ready for country consultation.

The Panel also discussed the Draft EPPO Standard on reporting of a diagnosis which was prepared by the Panel on Diagnostic. It considered that the standard should specify what should necessarily be in the report of a diagnosis and what is optional (part of the documentation). This Standard will also be presented to the Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations.

The Panel discussed the importance of proficiency testing and suggested that a standard could be drafted on this issue and be discussed at the next Panel meeting.

The Panel will meet again in 2006 to review the comments from the Working Party and, if relevant, from the country consultation.