Case Study THAILAND The Exportation of Orchids to European Union

1. Case Study THAILAND The Exportation of Orchids to European Union Dr. Manita Kongchuensin, Dr. Charuwat Taekul Ms. Chortip Salyapongse, Mr. Somrouy Roumchaiapicul Department of Agriculture (DOA) Ms. Tasanee Pradyabumrung National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards (ACFS)

2. Case study process and activities • Activity timeline • This case study was implemented in approximately 2 years • (July 2011 - July 2013) • The activities in developing the case study • general project meeting containing two parts: • - General meeting among project staff held twice a week • - Skype meeting with collaborating advisors from QUT Australia • & Imperial College London, England • 2) three times stakeholder meeting • Thai Orchid Exporters Association & Thai Orchid Garden Enterprise Association • 6-10 February 2010, 29 May 2012 and 19 July 2013

3. Background Thailand has been the world’s largest orchid exporter since 1965. In 2011, approximately 8,866,000 stems were exported, gained a total value around 8 million dollars. As in the commission decision of 2 February 1998, Council Directive 2000/29/EC, The EU requirement is to have orchid cut flowers free from Thrips palmi Karny Pest risk mitigation issues: Orchids from Thailand have to apply with methyl bromide fumigation with the dose of 20 - 24 g/m3 for 90 minutes, which completely eradicate T. palmi within 3 hours

4. Impacts: problems to solve • T. palmi control at stage of orchid productions and methyl bromide treatment are not quite successful. • Some countries of EU may prohibit the use of methyl bromide fumigation for phytosanitary measure in the near future. • After using methyl bromide treatment, the quality of orchid cut flowers may not reach the requirement of import countries. • Health concerns to the workers in fumigation process Pest Risk Management …….SYSTEM APPROACH The alternative measures to replace the use of methyl bromide treatment

5. Case Study Objectives • - To employ the Bayesian Network (BN) to identify key control points and alternative measures generating the effective model to meet EU’s phytosanitary requirements • - Better understand alternative phytosanitary measures equivalent to methyl bromide fumigation

6. Case study process and activities • Case Study Developing • Implemented in approximately 2 years RESULT (Final??) Advice Fr.QUT+ London CP-BN team 2 stakeholder- meeting CP-BN execution Setup the preliminary model Production chain, Control point DSS template 3 stakeholder- meeting Training Session. Intense Evaluation in DSS Experts and Entomologists *!*#*$#@ Preliminary Result!! DSS: Evaluation CP-BN execution

7. Knowledge base Technical application Piyarat et al., 2007 Greenhouse trial 1 Greenhouse trial 1 Greenhouse trial Greenhouse trial 2 GAP Greenhouse trial 2 Department of Agriculture, 2007 Resistance IPM Suparada et al., 2012 Piyarat et al., 2003 Gathering information: papers, scientists, field experiments, entomologists, orchid experts, etc.

8. 6 -10 Feb. 2012 activities Suvarnabhumi Airport Thai Orchids Co.Ltd. Orchids farm Packing house

9. 29 May 2012 activities -Stakeholder meeting- At ACFS Office

10. Production chain • of orchid cut flower production • - This was prepared by the Thailand NPPO in consultation with orchid industry stakeholders • before a midterm meeting of the project in July 2012. • It was reviewed by the Beyond Compliance technical team and Dr Alan MacLeod (FERA-UK) • The production chain indicates a series of potential control measures and verification measures. • - These measures can be applied to manage the risk of infestation, and monitoring can be applied to determine • the effects of the measures

12. 23 Lists of all possible measures to control Thrips palmi from Control Point (CP) • Planting and preparation (8 possible measures) • Production and control measures in the field (5) • Harvesting (2) • Processing, treatment and inspection (3) • Packing in centralized facility (4) • Inspection at port of departure (1)

13. Planting and preparation • Using Healthy planting materials, provided from reliable sources • Avoid cultivating host plants of Thrips palmi around planting area • Using clean growing media • Farm layout and building • Dipping of stem cutting againtsThirpspalmi • Sanitation before orchid cultivating • Provide area to dispose damage orchids • Separate new planting material from existing plants

14. Production and control measures in field • Pest monitoring on an orchid flowering stage • Blue sticky traps are applied • Using materials to cover planting media • Foliar and flower spray programs: • Field sanitation • Harvesting, Processing, treatment, and inspection • Effective equipment and materials • Holding collecting areas away from green house • Soaking cutting flower stems • Select export quality stems • Dehumidifying cutting flowers

15. Packing in centralised facility • Packing Standard • Temperature control in packing process • Packaging box or container for export shall be new, clean and strong • Methyl Bromide fumigation treatment • Inspection at port of departure • Quarantine inspection/interception (Phytosanitary certificate)

16. In total of 15 selected approaches were employed and evaluated using Decision-Support Spreadsheet (DSS) . Estimated values from Control Point-Bayesian Networks (CP-BN) were executed via GeNIe software.

17. Evaluation: Decision support spreadsheet (DSS) System approach CP-BN with 4 control points, initiating the Thrips population at 90% DSS result

18. CP-BN output initiating from 90% Thrips palmi infestation The contaminations along the production chain are induced at each control point at the 50% infestation rate

19. Initiating from 90% Thrips palmi infestation The infestation after inactivate all control measures.

20. Current Possibility Initiating 90% Thrips palmi infestation activate methyl bromide fumigation at 100% full efficacy and implementation

21. Initiating from 90% Thrips palmi infestation Turning off methyl bromide fumigation Activate 100% full efficacy and implementation of spray programs and field sanitation

22. Conclusions about systems approach • (Thailand Case Study) • Selected measures: spray program and field sanitation • are likely to alter the use of methyl bromide fumigation to control • T. palmiinfestation in export orchids. • More evaluation may be needed to obtain the better results. • (evaluation & sensitivity test  promising results) • Collaborating with the stakeholders help better understand the different between evaluated theory and practical implementation.

23. Conclusions about Beyond Compliance project • Obtain Critical Thinking: • the system approach program allows scientists to think more analytically and systematically • (e.g. The development of IPM is applied to the System Approach) • Get better understanding in the orchid cultivation • (e.g. most application techniques based on investment cost that is difficult for the farmers to alter the other high cost measures) • Learn the fact that the theory may not be implemented in the field • Connection!! • Allow us to share the experience among counterparts, brain storms and thus gain the promising result • Learn to utilize the new innovation method (CP-BN) for pest risk management and challenge for other agricultural export products.

24. Thank you for your attention