Lesson 1: Introduction to Certification Systems
Topic 1: What is a Phytosanitary Certification System?
We begin this module with an explanation of what a phytosanitary certification system is and why countries have one.
Objectives:
- Describe what a phytosanitary certification system is.
- Explain why a phytosanitary certification system is important.
- Identify the legal authority to operate an export certification program.
An export certification system is the infrastructure that allows a country to examine national agricultural production and attest that the agricultural goods meet a foreign country’s phytosanitary entry requirements in order to facilitate safe trade of plant-based goods. What does this mean? An exporting country must have the ability to identify a trading partner’s plant health entry requirements, determine if its products can meet those requirements, and then certify, or confirm, that its products meet the importing country’s conditions. For an illustration of why this infrastructure is needed, watch the following video clip.
Why do countries create and maintain a certification system for export? Countries build and maintain export certification systems as a service to their exporters and to allow for the export of agricultural products while preventing the introduction and spread of plant pests. Without a robust certification system, exporting goods to a foreign market is often a slow or even impossible endeavor. The reason why plans to export often fail without an established certification system is that every country has complex and constantly changing circumstances. Therefore, phytosanitary requirements must be continuously researched and tracked. Not many individual exporters would have the resources or expertise to navigate such complexity, ascertain all the requirements they need to fulfill, and communicate their findings to other exporters long term. Through the rest of this module, you will discover a little more about how NPPO fulfills this needed role.
Background information and legal authority
The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) created International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) to aid countries and provide standards for dealing with phytosanitary issues. There are two ISPMs that deal specifically with exporting (ISPM 7 and 12), though many points of other standards may also be used to supplement export activities. ISPM 7 (Export Certification System) details the standards for setting up and maintaining an export certification system to produce valid and credible phytosanitary certificates. A phytosanitary certificate is a document indicating that a shipment of plants or plant products, meets the importing country’s plant health requirements, and complies with the exporting country’s certification statement. Guidelines for Phytosanitary Certificates (PCs) are outlined in ISPM 12.
The National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) has the sole authority to issue PCs and must have a system to ensure that all phytosanitary requirements are satisfied. They should maintain a staff with personnel who have the expertise to construct and operate an appropriate certification system. This means that the NPPO will either have to train or acquire personnel with experience in identification of plants and plant products, inspections, detection and identification of plant pests, various phytosanitary treatments, administrative functions, and other areas as appropriate.
In the next topic, we will outline for you the basic four-step process for creating a phytosanitary certificate.
Realistically, the export of agricultural goods is only possible when there is a functional phytosanitary certification system in place. The IPPC provides guidance in how to establish and maintain a phytosanitary certification system in ISPM 7.
To continue, select Topic 2 from the Topics menu above or click here.