Plant Health Guide: passporting and marketing requirements
This guide offers details about plant passporting - moving plants within the European Community - and marketing regulations.
Appendix G: responsibilities of those affected by the Plant Passporting and Marketing Requirements
| Passporting |
Fruit/vegetable |
Ornamental |
|---|---|---|
| Records Producers must: - keep records of any plants purchased for storage or planting on the premises, those under production, or sold to others. These records can be kept manually or on a computer database. They will be examined by the SERPID Horticulture and Marketing Unit at least once a year and must be legible and accessible. These records must be maintained for at least one year - keep any plant passports received for at least one year If passports are required but missing, the supplier must be asked to provide them |
Records Fruit and vegetable suppliers other than producers - must keep records on buying, selling and delivery of plant material, together with records on composition and origins mixed during packaging, storage or transport or at delivery. This does not apply to those who market only small quantities of plant material to non-professionals. If larger quantities are marketed, but still to non-professionals, it is necessary only to keep records on buying, selling and delivery of plant material. Fruit and vegetable producers - must keep records on mixing of plant material, and of occurrences of harmful organisms and measures taken against such occurrences. In addition, records must be maintained for at least one year (three years for fruit plants) on plant material bought for storage or planting, under production, or despatched to others. Also records must be maintained for one year on any chemical treatments applied. |
Records Ornamental suppliers must keep records of their sales and purchases of propagating material and retain them for at least one year. They must also keep records of the composition and origin of mixed lots sold in a single consignment. Suppliers who are importers must keep documentary evidence of their contracts relating to the import of propagating material from third countries for at least one year after the contract has concluded. Ornamental producers must also keep records of their monitoring of critical points in the production process which influence the quality of material. |
| Production requirements Producers must: - keep a detailed plan of the areas where plants are grown and/or stored - notify the local SERPID Horticulture and Marketing Unit of: (a) a change of species of plants propagated, grown or traded - nominate either themselves, or an employee who is fully familiar with plant production, as a "responsible person" to liaise with the SERPID Horticulture and Marketing Unit and to issue (or supervise the issue of) plant passports. If the "responsible person" is away, alternative arrangements may have to be made depending on the length of absence - carry out frequent visual inspections of the premises and stock to ensure plant health standards are maintained -allow access for the SERPID Horticulture and Marketing Unit to inspect your premises and stock, to take samples and check your records; |
Production requirements Producers must: - treat or, where appropriate, remove any plant material showing visible signs or symptoms of harmful quality organisms at the growing crop stage - report to the SERPID Horticulture and Marketing Unit any plant material that fails to comply with the requirements for substantial freedom as a result of the presence of harmful organisms - keep plant material in lots of homogeneous composition and origin during growing, lifting or removal from parent material - monitor the production processes, including (a) the quality of plant material used to start the production process - nominate either yourself, or an employee who is fully familiar with plant production, as a "responsible person" to liaise with the SERPID Horticulture and Marketing Unit. If the "responsible person" is away, it may be necessary to make alternative arrangements depending on the length of absence |
Production requirements Producers must: - treat or, where appropriate, remove any plant material showing visible signs or symptoms of harmful quality organisms - identify and monitor critical points in their production process which influence the quality of the material - take samples where necessary and send them to be analysed in a laboratory with suitable facilities and expertise - ensure that during production lots of propagating material remain separately identifiable For those producing flower bulbs, use only material which has derived directly from material which, at the time the crop was growing, was checked and found to be substantially free from any harmful organisms and diseases or any signs or symptoms of such organisms and diseases. For those producing citrus plants (ornamental or fruit), use only material which has derived from initial material which has been checked and tested individually for viruses and virus-like organisms listed in the Regulations. The plants must have been checked during the last cycle of vegetation for substantial freedom from such viruses and virus-like organisms and any rootstocks used must not be susceptible to viroids. |
| Production requirements - report any outbreaks or suspected outbreaks of quarantine or non-indigenous pests or diseases to the SERPID Horticulture and Marketing Unit immediately - undertake any special requirements for example to destroy or treat any diseased plants required by the SERPID Horticulture and Marketing Unit |
Production requirements - to co-operate with and allow access to the SERPID Horticulture and Marketing Unit to inspect the premises and stock, to take samples and check records - carry out frequent visual inspections of your premises and stock to ensure quality standards are maintained For those producing bulbs of garlic and shallots, use only material which has derived directly from a crop which has been checked in active growth for substantial freedom from quality pests and diseases For those producing citrus plants (ornamental or fruit), use only material which has derived from initial material which has been checked and tested individually for viruses and virus-like organisms listed in the Regulations. The plants must have been checked during the last cycle of vegetation for substantial freedom from such viruses and virus-like organisms and any rootstocks used must not be susceptible to viroids |
|
| Marketing requirements Freedom from quarantine pests and diseases. |
Marketing requirements In addition to compliance with the requirements on freedom from quarantine pests and diseases, the material must be substantially free from any harmful organisms or diseases of quality affecting significance which could reduce the usefulness of the material for its intended purpose. In particular it must be substantially free from organisms listed in the Regulations; if the presence of such an organism is sufficient for material not to be able to meet the requirement for substantial freedom; this should be reported to the SERPID Horticulture and Marketing Unit. It must be substantially free from any defect likely to impair its quality for propagation or planting and, for vegetable plants, should have satisfactory vigour and dimensions in respect of their usefulness for propagating, planting or as finished plants. In addition, vegetable plants should have an appropriate balance between roots, stems and leaves It must have adequate identity and purity relative to its genus or species and, except for rootstocks which don't belong to a variety It is in lots of sufficiently homogeneous composition and origin; except where the material is marketed to persons not professionally engaged in the production or sale of ornamental plants or propagating material. |
Marketing requirements In addition to compliance with the requirements on freedom from quarantine pests and diseases, the material must be substantially free from any harmful organisms or diseases of quality affecting significance which could reduce the usefulness of the material for its intended purpose. It must have satisfactory vigour and dimensions in respect of its usefulness for propagating material and, for seeds, have satisfactory germination capacity. It must have adequate identity and purity relative to its genus or species or group of plants and, where marketed with reference to a variety, have satisfactory varietal identity and purity. It is in lots of sufficiently homogeneous composition and origin. There are also specific requirements for those who import ornamental plant propagating material. The supplier must: - ensure prior to import that the material is of an equivalent standard to that in the EC - notify the SERPID Horticulture and Marketing Unit in writing of the importation of a consignment of propagating material from a third country within one month of its importation; this can be met by delivering a phytosanitary certificate or re-forwarding phytosanitary certificate for the consignment |
| Variety requirements |
Variety requirements For fruit suppliers: plants and propagating material must be marketed by its correct variety name, except rootstocks which do not have a variety, which should be referred to by species or interspecific hybrid name the variety must be that issued, or applied for, under plant breeders' rights. In the absence of such a variety name, suppliers must maintain a list describing the variety concerned, which includes: - the name of the variety with any synonyms - a description of the variety, using the specific characteristics referred to in the Annex to Commission Directive 93/79 - an indication as to the maintenance of the variety and propagation system applied; - an indication as to how the variety differs from other similar varieties. Only producers must maintain details about maintenance, propagation and how the variety differs from others. For vegetable suppliers: The requirements on varietal descriptions do not apply to plants covered by the Vegetable Regulations except that they should have adequate identity and purity with regard to genus, species and variety and either be a variety marketed in accordance with the Vegetable Seeds Regulations 1993 or be a variety officially accepted in at least one member state. Note: not everyone needs to hold varietal descriptions, providing one can be obtained if necessary. It is possible to use catalogues, trade manuals or reference to publically available lists of descriptions, such as the National List or EC Common Catalogue, as a means of describing varieties. |
Variety requirements Any variety name referred to must be subject to plant breeders' rights or commonly known. In the absence of such a variety name, suppliers must maintain a list describing the variety concerned, which includes: - the name of the variety with any synonyms - a description of the variety, using the specific characteristics used when making an application for a EC plant variety right - an indication as to the maintenance of the variety and propagation system applied - an indication as to how the variety differs from other similar varieties Only producers must maintain details about maintenance, propagation and how the variety differs from others. Note: not everyone needs to hold varietal descriptions, providing one can be obtained if necessary. It is possible to use catalogues, trade manuals or reference to publically available lists of descriptions, such as the National List or EC Common Catalogue, as a means of describing varieties. |
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