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Plant passport Guide for Companies

In principle, all plants and plant products must be free of the organisms listed in Annex IAI and IAII of the Plant Health Directive 2000/29/EG and certain products must be free of the relevant organisms listed in Annex IIAI and IIAII. In addition, plant products destined for certain protected zones must be free of certain relevant organisms listed in Annex IB. Certain plant products destined for certain protected zones, must also be free of the relevant organisms listed in Annex IIB.

All plants must be grown in soil that is free of Clavibacter michiganensis ssp. sepedonicum( ring rot)  Ralstonia solanacearum( bacterial wilt) , Globodera pallida and Globodora rostochiensis ( potato cyst nematode) and Synchytrium endobioticum (black scab).  Naktuinbouw will only consider the material for inspection if the grower can provide a declaration of testing for potato cyst nematode. This naturally does not apply to regions that are exempt (incl. Boskoop, Opheusden, Bollenstreek, etc.). No declaration of testing for potato cyst nematode is required for coniferous plants with roots (destined for use as Christmas trees and less than 3 metres in height).

The NVWA will impose a ban on cultivation following infection with Clavibacter michiganensis ssp. sepedonicum (ring rot), Ralstonia solanacearum (bacterial wilt) and Synchytrium endobioticum (black scab).  Naktuinbouw will be informed if infection is detected in the cultivation of propagating material.

At the moment of marketing all plants must also be free of Liriomyza huidobrensis (serpentine leafminer), Liriomyza trifolii (American serpentine leafminer) and Meloidogyne chitwoodi/fallax.

 

Registration

Naktuinbouw registers producers, producer/traders and traders of products authorised to issue plant passports for products which must be accompanied by a plant passport.
To make assessing the phytosanitary status of a company easier, Naktuinbouw can impose additional conditions. Specific production circumstances and operational management are taken into account here.

The registers states;

  • Individual registration number
  • Name and nature of the company to which registration applies
  • Full address of the registered company
  • Conditions or restrictions relative to accepting an application
  • The products to which registration applies
  • Date of the first application

 Naktuinbouw will ensure that the producers, producer/traders and traders will only be registered under the following conditions;

  • They have a current, detailed plan of the plots and buildings used by the company for the purpose of production, storage or trading of the products that require a plant passport.
  • They have a current overview of all the products that require a plant passport that are produced on the company, purchased for storage or to be planted out on the company, or to be dispatched to others.
  • They save relevant documents, relating to the two previous points, for at least one year.
  • They have a contact person who is fully familiar with plant production and crop protection.
  • They regularly monitor the crops for plant health. 

At least once a year, Naktuinbouw will check the administrative records to ensure that these obligations are being met. The data in the register and any changes will also be included. If this audit reveals that obligations are not being met, the company concerned will be issued with a warning stating a term within which the nonconformities must be resolved. If the company fails to take action within the set term, registration will be withdrawn.

 

Phytosanitary inspections

The inspector will perform phytosanitary inspections at registered production and trading companies that intend to market plants and/or propagating material.

During the inspection the inspector will check if;

  • The plants and propagating material destined for marketing are free of quarantine organisms, organisms that could be possibly be considered QOs and organisms not previously detectedThe plants and propagating material destined for marketing  comply with the general requirements and the specific requirements, as described in the register 'Specific requirements for plants that must be accompanied by a plant passport, except for seeds' and/or the requirements as described in the 'Specific requirements for seeds that must be accompanied by a plant passport'
  • The products that require a plant passport are grown on plots free of potato cyst nematodes, based on a declaration to this effect.
  • The products are grown on a plot for which, for the crops concerned, no ban on cultivation has been imposed by the NVWA.
  • The specific requirements for certain products, organisms and, if applicable, for certain protected zones have been complied with. These requirements are listed in the 'Codes for Protected Zones' register.

 

Issuing a plant passport

The inspector ensures that a plant passport is attached to the plants or lots for which it can be issued. Issuing and attaching the plant passport to the plants may also be done by the registered producer, producer/trader and trader with the authorisation of and under supervision of Naktuinbouw. For this purpose, the ' Plant passport agreement' must be completed and signed by the representative of the company and the team manager at Naktuinbouw.

The inspector safeguards and checks that;

  • Products that require a plant passport are only marketed if a plant passport that complies with the requirements contained in the 'Requirements for the Plant Passport' checklist has been issued.
  • Products that require a plant passport for which no plant passport can (yet) be issued are prevented from being marketed.
  • If no plant passport can be issued because a (suspected) quarantine or quarantine-worthy organism has been detected, Naktuinbouw will take measures.
  • Measures that can be taken by Naktuinbouw;
  • Applying a suitable treatment/ having a suitable treatment applied.
  • Permitting marketing of the product under official supervision to areas where the lot concerned does not pose any additional risks.
  • Permitting marketing of the product under official supervision for the purpose of industrial processing.
  • Other measures in consultation with the NVWA.

Registered companies will always be informed of the findings of the Naktuinbouw inspector during the inspection in an Inspection Report. This inspection report must be saved in your records (preferably in a file)!

 

What are your own responsibilities?

When purchasing propagating material of crops that requires a plant passport from within the EU, a plant passport must always accompany the consignment. If this is the case, this propagating material may be used by the registered company or traded further by the registered company.

If no plant passport accompanies propagating material of crops that require a plant passport and have been purchased within the EU, you must request a plant passport from your supplier immediately. If no document is sent to you, you must inform the inspector. Further trading at this time is not permitted.

You must regularly monitor the crops for plant health.

If you detect a quarantine-organism on your company, you must report this to Naktuinbouw immediately so that adequate measures can be taken.

For that matter, all products that are not required to have a plant passport must also be free of quarantine-organisms at delivery.

A guide like this aims to summarise the points that are most important for you. We have checked as carefully as possible that the information provided is correct. However, due to modifications or otherwise, we cannot guarantee that this information is complete or an exact legal representation. No 'rights' can therefore be derived from the content of this guide. If you have any doubts, please consult the complete text of the EU-Directives, the Dutch Plant Diseases Act and the Naktuinbouw Inspection Regulations.