Young plant production. Photo: Gerhard Renker
On 14.12.In 2019, the new phytosanitary system came into force in the EU. The new EU Regulations (EU) 2017/625 (Control Regulation) and (EU) 2016/2031 (Plant Health Regulation) replace the previous regulatory system around Commission Directive 2000/29/EC.
The objectives of the new regulatory system are to unify the control procedures and requirements of food safety, veterinary control, phytosanitary control and to improve the protection of the community against the introduction and spread of harmful organisms through better traceability and common control standards.
For the first time, the control systems in the areas of animal health, food safety and plant health will be brought together under a common control regulation.
The EU Commission is counting on a stronger responsibility of the market participants for the concerns of animal health, food safety and plant health.
A collection of the legal basis can be found on the page of the Julius Kuhn Institute, Institute for National and International Plant Health Affairs, under the following link:
Registration of enterprises in the new plant health system
The registration of establishments already existed in the old regulatory system, among other things, for companies that move goods subject to plant passports within the EU internal market or also for importers of plants and plant products subject to control upon importation.
Since the 14.12.In 2019, the registration obligation under the regulations of the EU Regulation (EU)2016/2031 applies to entrepreneurs who carry out the following activities:
– Iing plant passports (authorized entrepreneur) – placing on the market or producing goods subject to plant passports – importers of goods subject to inspection – exporters of goods with a phytosanitary certificate for export, re-export as well as for pre-export – applying markings according to ISPM 15 – other amtl. Attestations – provision of information for travelers (seaports, airports, internal. transporters)
Duties of the entrepreneurs participating in the plant passport system
In future, the new regulation will place greater emphasis on the responsibility of the entrepreneurs. The obligations of the entrepreneur are presented in the following information letter.
Registration application
Registration in accordance with the provisions of the Plant Health Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 follows on the initiative of the entrepreneur.
The application must be submitted to the competent authority. The application data is then checked. The assignment of a registration number. This is then, for example, part of the plant passport.
Application procedure
The registration application consists of the basic application and the annexes with information on the types of goods that the entrepreneur handles within the scope of his activity requiring registration.
The application is sent to the responsible plant protection service in the federal state in which the entrepreneur is based. This can be selected on page 2 of the application.
The application is available as a fillable PDF document.
1. Step – Completing and signing the basic application 2. Step – Selection and completion of the required Appendix 3. Scan the application with attachments as one pdf file and send it to the responsible plant protection service at the following e-mail address: [email protected] 4. Sending the original application with signature by mail to: Pflanzenschutzdienst NRW Gartenstrabe 11 50765 Koln 5. Registration fees in NRW: The costs of registration in NRW are charged in accordance with the General Administrative Fees Regulations of the State of NRW of 26.03.levied in 2021: Abstract fee tariff plant protection service102 KByte
Updating the registration
Already registered traders moving plants in the internal market and iing plant passports or. Importers of plants and plant products from third countries must submit their information by no later than 14 days after the date of registration. March 2020 update. For this purpose, an update of the information is made in the registration application.
Registration of exporters
Operators exporting plants or plant products to a third country must also be included in an official register in the future. For this purpose, the registration application must be. Appendix 5 to be completed. The plant passport is an official label for the movement of plants. Plant products to EU member states.
It certifies that the plants and plant products meet the requirements of the regulations on intra-Community movements and movements into protected areas. The plant passport thus certifies that the goods are free of quarantine pests and other regulated non-quarantine pests, RNQP (Regulated Non Quarantine Pests) for short.
The regulations for the new plant passport system have also been in place since 14.12.To be implemented in EU member states in 2019. A notable difference from previous plant passport requirements is the extension of the plant passport requirement to all live plants, such as potted plants, nursery shrubs and container plants. In addition, some seed species will fall under the new plant passport requirement.
Plant passports are usually ied by the entrepreneur. In return, with his registration he receives 'authorization' from the official plant protection service.
By iing plant passports, the operator also ames obligations to monitor his stock for infestation with harmful organisms. There is also an obligation to document inspections and trade flows.