AFSA: Unified concept needed to protect biodiversity

A unified concept directly linked to the sustainability of agriculture, food security, and environmental protection, including biodiversity conservation, must be developed, according to Zakiyya Mustafayeva, Deputy Chair of the Azerbaijan Food Safety Agency (AFSA), Report informs.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 74th session of the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) Council, Mustafayeva emphasized the need for a strategic and integrated approach in Azerbaijan to ensure biological safety. This approach should encompass policy and regulatory frameworks that analyze and manage risks in the food safety, animal health, and plant health sectors, including associated ecological risks.

"This should cover the introduction of pests and diseases harmful to plants and animals, the application and release of genetically modified organisms and their products into nature, and the application and management of invasive alien species and genotypes," Mustafayeva stated. "In other words, a unified concept directly related to the sustainability of agriculture, food security, and environmental protection, including biodiversity, should be developed."

Mustafayeva also noted that, in order to protect public and environmental health, the use and circulation of 238 highly toxic pesticide active ingredients have been banned in Azerbaijan, taking into account advanced international practices.

“During the 30 years of occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia, it was not possible to carry out any phytosanitary measures on those lands, leading to a number of problems. Phytosanitary measures are now being implemented in those areas, and an Action Plan has been prepared to carry out more extensive work in this direction in the future. This plan will allow for the implementation of phytosanitary measures on a larger scale in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan.”