1014. International Day of Plant Health 2024

Every year on May 12, the International Day of Plant Health (IDPH) is celebrated. The decision was made at the United Nations General Assembly in March 2022 with the aim of raising global awareness of the importance of preventing the spread of plant pests.

The theme for the International Day of Plant Health 2024 is plant health, safe trade and digital technology. Let's raise awareness and take action to keep plants healthy and ensure safe trade to create sustainable economies and livelihoods.

We are highly dependent on plants. Around 80% of food and 98% of oxygen on Earth come from plants. However, due to the development of overseas travel and trade, plant diseases and pests have invaded and spread all over the world. Invasive pests are also one of the leading causes of biodiversity loss, threatening the biological networks that support our planet. Pests are also associated with rising temperatures and are known to spread into new environments that have become habitable. As a result, pesticide use has increased, negatively impacting pollinators, natural enemies, and organisms that are essential to a healthy environment.

Every year, more than 240 million containers carrying plant-based goods move around the world, and about 80% of international trade cargo includes wooden packaging. These are the main transmission routes for pests, causing economic losses of around USD 220 billion a year globally. Protecting plant health across borders helps global cooperation, and the International Standard on Plant Quarantine Measures (ISPM) prevents cross-border plant pest invasions and infestations. Today, digital technologies such as the Electronic Phytosanitary Certificate (ePhyto) have streamlined the process, enabling fast and secure transactions.  

Contributor: KANAMORI Norihito (Information and Public Relations Office)