We hope that everyone is staying safe and doing reasonably well in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there are many challenges ahead over the coming months, we thought it was important to share an exciting development: IPRRG will be assuming the responsibilities of the former International Advisory Group on Pest Risk Analysis (IAGPRA). Below are some details about the transition.

IAGPRA was established following the highly successful International Plant Health Pest Risk Analysis Workshop at Niagara Falls, Ontario, CA, October 24-28, 2005. IAGPRA consisted of a small number of pest risk analysis (PRA) experts from around the world together with representatives from the IPPC Secretariat and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat. The group provided expert advice and support to the IPPC Secretariat on PRA related issues, in particular with respect to building capacity for PRA. IAGPRA supported the development of PRA training and advocacy materials. Members of IAGPRA also delivered training around the world, including in China, India, Jordan, Kenya and Russia. The training material is freely available and can be viewed by following this link. The last major task of IAGPRA was the development of the IPPC Guide to Pest Risk Communication (May 2019).

Several members of IAGPRA were also members of the International Pest Risk Research Group (IPRRG). IPRRG is a group of more than 300 scientists and practitioners, collectively wishing to assist the IPPC Secretariat and contracting parties, with their PRA-related activities. Discussions between the Chair of IAGPRA and the Executive Committee of IPRRG concluded that the best way to provide this assistance was for IAGPRA and IPRRG to join forces, with IPRRG accepting IAGPRA’s former roles and responsibilities. The chair of IAGPRA wrote to the Secretary to the IPPC in February 2019 to inform him that IPRRG should replace IAGPRA and be recognized as an external organization cooperating with the IPPC.

We will be establishing a dedicated page on the IPRRG website for this cooperative arrangement. IPRRG member and ex-IAGPRA chair Alan MacLeod will serve as the contact and liaison point between the IPPC Secretariat and IPRRG. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Alan (alan.macleod “AT” defra.gov.uk) or a member of the IPRRG Executive Committee.

**Not an IPRRG member? Membership is FREE and comes with many benefits, including access to our member directory, discussion forums, and other resources for pest risk modeling and analysis. Visit the IPRRG website and register today!