Plant health surveillance is conducted by biosecurity agencies and industry to maintain food quality, prevent the spread of pests and facilitate trade in foodstuffs. The term Pest Record is defined in ISPM 6. International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) are standards adopted by the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM), which is the governing body of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).
This work is being carried out by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources in collaboration with Biosecurity Agencies of Australian states and territories. The PRS builds on a simpler standard, the National Minimum Dataset Specification (NMDS), which defines fewer data elements, and did not use the Resource Description Framework.