Alexandria, Virginia, USA
January 7, 2011
Source: ASTA Newsletter
The movement of seed across international borders is a complicated and often times expensive venture due to varying phytosanitary requirements and different testing methods, but the American Seed Trade Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are working to help ensure seed ordered makes it to the appropriate marketplace.
Seed re-export is a problem for the seed industry in general because companies intentionally move seed from one country to another. The country where the seed is grown out is known as the "country of origin" and the first country that seed is shipped to is known as the "first country of destination." Many times the first country of destination is the United States.
"Seed is brought to the United States for processing, packaging and a value-added component and then shipped out to many other countries for its final market," explains Ric Dunkle, ASTA senior director of trade and seed health.
Under current phytosanitary requirements, seed companies are only obligated to meet the phytosanitary import requirements of the first country of destination, not the second or third destination. This is where the current system breaks down for today's environment, a global marketplace. There is no system in place to help companies meet all the phytosanitary requirements of the multiple countries seed may move through.
ASTA is working along with USDA and many other national seed organizations to organize a three prong approach to help solve this problem:
- Long term - Develop and implement an International Plant Protection Convention standard.
- Mid term - Develop and implement a NAPPO (North American Plant Protection Organization) standard.
- Short term - Develop and implement bilateral agreements between the United States and priority countries identified by the seed industry.
In regards to the NAPPO standard, ASTA is working with COSAVE (Comite de Sanidad Vegetal del Cona Sur) and the Seed Association of the Americas. COSAVE is comprised of Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. NAPPO is comprised of Canada, the United States and Mexico.
"We have a draft standard put together which we hope to have adopted in the Fall of 2011," Dunkle says.
Turning to the bilateral agreements, in 2009 USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service submitted a proposal to the Netherlands about phytosanitry re-export requirements. They expressed interest, but were not permitted to do anything without the approval of the entire EU. As a result, APHIS expanded these discussions with the EU and in late 2010 they accepted the proposed bilateral agreement.
"Since the acceptance, we've been working very hard and diligently with APHIS to implement this agreement," Dunkle says.
APHIS has three actions to complete:
- Revise their policies and guidance to states and U.S. customs and border protections agencies.
- Modify their electronic phytosanitary certification process, which has been done.
- Organize a webinar training session to let companies know how to use the new electronic phytosanitary certification process. Two webinars have already been held and APHIS has extended the invitation to have more at the industry's request.
"This is really a 28 nation agreement," Dunkle explains. "Now this same agreement is being proprosed to Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Mexico and Canada.
"We expect to have feedback from Brazil rather quickly. The seed industry also has requested APHIS to consider submitting the proposal to Australia, Japan, Korea and Turkey and preparations are underway to do this. The more countries we have in agreement, the better."
Dukle says this not only helps set the standard for NAPPO but also IPPC.
Now under the current bilateral agreement with the EU, it is the responsibility of the exporter to identify additional pests above and beyond the first country of origin. The company must ask for the inspections personnel to include those pests as a part of their phytosanitary field inspections and/or seed testing. This information will be included on the phytosanitary certificate as "additional phytosanitary information." When seed is re-exported, the national plant protection officer (NPPO) will consider the "additional phytosanitary information" as official and will use it to issue the re-export certificates.
This becomes an important step, especially when a company doesn't know exactly where the seed will be shipped to, Dunkle says.
The bilateral agreement with the EU is a huge step to providing certainty to companies moving seed. Until now, it has been difficult to know if a seed shipment will meet a country's phytosanitary standards.
"This will have a multi-million dollar impact on the seed industry as far as returned and lost seed goes when exporting," Dunkle says. "The biggest issue has been in the vegetable seed market, but this is trickling across to the grains market too because of the opportunity to take advantage of different growing seasons."
There are several companies looking at overseas markets and sticking their feet in the water, so we think this will be another benefit in the long run.
"Some of our member companies' seed doesn't even make it to the United States, so its really beneficial to seed companies globally," Dunkle says. "It's setting a precedent and we are confident that with the help of APHIS and the Foreign Ag Service that more countries will join in on the agreements. Other seed associations are pushing the issue from their side and we are working it from our side."
For more information, contact Dunkle at 703-837-8140 or rdunkle@amseed.org.
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