CIHEAM Zaragoza, in collaboration with the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has organized an advanced course on “Plant Health Control and Inspection at Border Control Points” from 8 to 12 November 2021.

The main objective of the course was to address the procedures for the detection and identification of harmful organisms in plant products at border controls of imports and exports. The course was designed for civil servants employed in agriculture and fisheries, preferably plant health inspectors.

Fifteen inspectors followed the course that was given by twelve experts from different Spanish National Reference Laboratories. The course lasted 5 days, 3 of which consisted of online training to study the most serious quarantine pathogens (symptoms, detection, sampling and laboratory dispatch methods) and 2 days of face-to-face training to carry out laboratory practicals in Valencia.