Biosecurity officers from across the Pacific met in Fiji from 8 to 12 September 2025 to review the impact of training programmes delivered under the Safe Agricultural Trade Facilitation through Economic Integration in the Pacific (SAFE Pacific) project over the past four years.

Although Vanuatu’s biosecurity officers were unable to attend the workshop, their inputs will still be considered, as their experience is critical for consolidating learnings and data from the SAFE Project to inform future regional and national capacity building. Significant support has been provided to Vanuatu under the project, including biosecurity training, emergency response supplies, and ongoing technical assistance. Vanuatu is also in the process of installing a biosecurity incinerator in Santo, provided by the project, according to Vanuatu Biosecurity Principal Officer Lindon Tari.

From a press release it states that the workshop brought together representatives of national plant protection organisations to validate the findings of a tracer study, which measured the effectiveness of the project’s biosecurity capacity-building efforts.

Funded by the European Union and implemented by the Pacific Community (SPC), SAFE Pacific has been conducting biosecurity training for Pacific Island countries to enhance safe trade and manage pests. Through these initiatives, the project aims to help Pacific countries guard against the introduction, establishment, and spread of pests and diseases that threaten agriculture, biodiversity, food security, and livelihoods.

Training delivered by the project has focused on pre-border, border, and post-border risk mitigation; import risk assessment; emerging threats; pest surveillance; treatment methods; cross-agency collaboration; and practical field applications. Hands-on exercises and field visits have been a key feature, helping officers build confidence and apply technical knowledge in real-world situations.

The tracer study found that these efforts have strengthened pest surveillance skills, improved the ability to identify plant pests, enhanced coordination with stakeholders, and improved data collection and reporting procedures. At the Fiji workshop, country representatives validated the study’s findings and refined recommendations for future action.

SPC Pacific Plant Protection Organisation (PPPO) Coordinator Riten Gosai said the validation exercise marked a significant step in ensuring sustained benefits. “It not only addresses what has been immediately achieved but will also help shape efforts for long-term impacts for national and regional biosecurity systems across the Pacific,” he said.

Participants highlighted the value of the “training plus equipment” model, which provided both new skills and the tools to apply them – from traps, lures, and consumables to X-ray machines and incinerators. The training also helped strengthen inter-agency coordination, with customs, health, and ports authorities now working more closely with national biosecurity teams.

In addition, participants worked on finalising priority Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to ensure biosecurity operations meet regional needs, reflect international best practice, and remain practical for daily use. Officers also engaged in skill-building sessions on digital data collection tools such as KoboCollect® and EpiCollect® for pest surveillance and record keeping, alongside developing training modules for officers and communities.

SAFE Pacific is implemented across 15 Pacific countries, including Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

Photos supplied.