1171 Chapter 35 International Plant Trade and Biosecurity Aaron Maxwell, Anna Maria Vettraino, René Eschen and Vera Andjic A. Maxwell (*) School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, 90 South St. Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia e-mail: Aaron.Maxwell@daff.gov.au V. Andjic Department of Agriculture, 9 Fricker Rd, Perth International Airport WA 6105, Perth, Australia e-mail: vera.andjic@daff.gov.au A. M. Vettraino DIBAF, University of Tuscia-Viterbo, Viterbo, Italy e-mail: vettrain@unitus.it R. Eschen CABI, Rue des Grillons 1, Delémont, Switzerland e-mail: r.eschen@cabi.org Abstract This chapter explores the current status of plant trade and international biosecurity regulatory mechanisms to safeguard economic, social and economic well being of nations, states and economic regions. We provide an account of the international biosecurity framework in a historical context. In doing so we outline some of the common approaches to managing and regulating biosecurity risks asso- ciated with the plant horticultural export trade. This exploration identifies many of the inconsistencies in the application of plant biosecurity measured internationally. The approaches for regulation of live plants are compared amongst regions and future improvements are identified. Keywords Pant trade · International biosecurity · Biosecurity risks · Plant biosecurity measures Introduction Humans have traded and transported horticultural products including live plants for millennia. The rate of trade accelerated at the end of the Middle Ages (1400s) and again at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution (1800s). The 21st century has seen another marked acceleration in the movement of plants and plant products around G. R. Dixon, D. E. Aldous (eds.), Horticulture: Plants for People and Places, Volume 3, DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-8560-0_35, © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014