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Emerging phytosanitary issues in the EU & the likely Russian market response. Sylvie Mamias UNION FLEURS Secretary General. Conference : INTERNATIONAL FLOWER INDUSTRY FOCUSES ON SUSTAINABILITY FOR GROWTH 6 June 2013 - IFTEX , Nairobi, Kenya.
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Emerging phytosanitary issues in the EU & the likely Russian market response Sylvie Mamias UNION FLEURS Secretary General Conference: INTERNATIONAL FLOWER INDUSTRY FOCUSES ON SUSTAINABILITY FOR GROWTH 6 June 2013 - IFTEX , Nairobi, Kenya
UNION FLEURS: Working for the global flower trade Promote a favorable trading environment and level-playing field conditions through the implementation of proportionate & uniform regulatory measures Facilitate sound, fair and sustainable competitive conditions on major markets Representing, promoting and defending the interests of the international floriculture trade Enhance the visibility of the floricultural sector towards decision-makers at EU and international levels • Lobbying & advocacy • Circulation of information • Networking
Union Fleurs Members ITALY SWITZERLAND GERMANY SPAIN BELGIUM AUSTRIA USA COLOMBIA KENYA DENMARK NORWAY THE NETHERLANDS MOROCCO TURKEY JAPAN SWEDEN ISRAEL SOUTH AFRICA
Emergingphytosanitary issues in the EU: Doesit have anything to do with ‘sustainability for growth’ ?
YES! • AppropriateANTICIPATION, PREVENTION and MANAGEMENT of phytosanitary issues at the earliest stage and along the wholesupplychain: • help limit the impact on companies of extra costs for rejection at EU borders and of unnecessary administrative burden • enable optimisation of the costslinked to achievingcompliancewith the requirements of the EU phytosanitaryregulations • ensure a stable access to export markets in the long-term and contribute to sustainablemarketgrowthunderlevel-playingfield conditions • Phytosanitary issues shouldthereforebefullyintegrated in the RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGY of individualcompanies and of the global supplychain.
The need for responsible and duly diligent operators in tacklingphytosanitary issues is vital for the industry but a COLLECTIVE EFFORTisalsorequired to maximise opportunities, activelyinvolving as well the authoritiesatorigin and national organisations. The efficient management of phytosanitary issues atoriginisevaluated and rewarded by the EU atCOUNTRY-LEVEL, not individualoperators.
THE EU PLANT HEALTH REGIME Currentrulesapplying to imports of plants & plant productsinto the EU Upcomingreview of the EU regulatoryframework EUROPHYT notifications: focus on Kenya performance
The EU Plant Health regime • OBJECTIVES: • Regulate the trade of plants and plant products within the EU as well as imports from non-EU countries, in accordance with international plant health standards and obligations • In order to prevent the introduction and spread of harmful organisms into the EU territory BASIC PRINCIPLES APPLYING TO IMPORTS FROM NON-EU COUNTRIES: • 100% imported consignments must be checked at the EU borders • they must be accompanied by a Phytosanitary certificate issued by the NPPO of the exporting country • Plant health checks must be carried out prior to customs clearance (documentary, identity and plant health inspections) A RISK-BASED APPROACH: • Reduced levels of checks are allowed to be applied to safe products from safe origins • e.g.: Roses from Kenya : 5% checks • Carnations from Kenya: 5% checks • in order to enable plant health inspections services to concentrate their workload on unsafe products from unsafe origins
The EU Plant Health regime • NEED FOR REFORM & MODERNISATION: • System in place since 1977 without any review • New challenges: With the increase and globalisation of trade in plant products over the last decades and the effects of climate change, the risk of introducing new pests and diseases has increased. • Objective: as far as import of plants from non-EU countries are concerned, the EU should focus its resources on: • prevention • a reinforced risk-based approach
Review of the EU Plant Health regime Directive 2000/29/EC Current legislation EU Regulation on Plant Health EU Regulation on Official Controls Future legislation • Imports from third countries into the EU • Intra-EU trade • Export from the EU to third countries
Review of the EU Plant Health regime • Main objectives of the review: • Strike abalancebetween the need to protect the EU territory against the risks of plant pests and the need to minimize potential distortive effects on the trade; • Favor a risk-based approach and risk-targeted measures; • Promote prevention strategies to tackle phytosanitary issues at the earliest possible stage and avoid devastating outbreaks; • Implement proportionate and uniform phytosanitary rules across the EU to ensure level-playing field conditions for operators. FUTURE EU Regulation on Plant Health Main elements of the proposed review : General: • Clarified definitions, e.g. plants, plants for planting, competent authority, operator, etc. • Official register of operators • Clarification of operators’ responsibilities Imports into the EU: • Stronger recognition of origin countries with equivalent phytosanitary measures • Introduction of temporary measures concerning risks posed by NEW plants for planting (quarantine)
Review of the EU Plant Health regime • Specific challenges for floricultural products: • highly perishable • non-food products • need for quick and flexible procedures FUTURE EU Regulation on Official Controls
Review of the EU Plant Health regime • Main objectives of the review: • Strike abalancebetween the need to protect the EU territory against the risks of plant pests and the need to minimize potential distortive effects on the trade; • Favor a risk-based approach and risk-targeted measures; • Promote prevention strategies to tackle phytosanitary issues at the earliest possible stage and avoid devastating outbreaks; • Implement proportionate and uniform phytosanitary rules across the EU to ensure level-playing field conditions for operators. FUTURE EU Regulation on Official Controls Main elements of the upcoming proposal: • Transparency in the Official Control results • Cost - based mandatory fees and charges • Border Control Posts (BCPs) will replace previous points of entry • Right of operators for a supplementary opinion: document review, second analysis/test • A Common Health Entry Document (CHED) – fully electronic • Description of specific actions to be taken by authorities in case of suspicion and in case of non-compliant consignments
Review of the EU Plant Health regime TIMING: • May 2013 : Publication of the proposals • The proposals will soon be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council for the EU for discussion and adoption (could be a lengthy process) • By 2018: Implementation of the reviewed EU Plant Health regime (timing is approximate)
EUROPHYT notifications EUROPHYT: European Network of Plant Health Information Systems EUROPHYT facilitates exchange of official information between plant health services of EU Member States (including Switzerland), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Commission EUROPHYT database provides an overview of reported interceptions for plants or plant products that do not comply with EU legislation EUROPHYT provides an essential support for the implementation of preventative measures by ensuring that the data on risks to plant health from trade in plants and plant products is up-to-date and accurate.
RUSSIA • Huge market growth in terms of cut flowers and pot plants imports over the last 10 years • Russia has joined the WTO in 2012 but remains a difficult trade partner • Should be bound by international regulations, including in the SPS area, but actually uses them as its advantage • Since March 2013, Russia is threatening to introduce an import ban against EU pot plants due to phytosanitary issues – now postponed 3 times – as long as it does not obtain access to the EU market for its Siberian pines (newly promoted ‘negative retroactivity concept’) • Very difficult to plan on stable market access conditions in the long –term. Political games and power play, not just with the EU.
