Law No. 46, approving the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC)

This law gives domestic legal effect to the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) in Panama, committing the country to implement science-based, transparent and harmonized phytosanitary measures to prevent the introduction and spread of plant pests. The Convention requires the establishment and operation of a National Plant Protection Organization, regulates import requirements, inspection, certification, quarantine, pest risk analysis, reporting obligations and international information exchange, and provides a framework for developing international standards and regional cooperation, ensuring that phytosanitary measures are not applied as disguised restrictions to trade.