2454 final report.pdf - Agra CEAS Consulting

Evaluation of the Community Plant Health Regime: Final Report
DG SANCO Evaluation Framework Contract Lot 3 (Food Chain)
Country Commodity (living plants) Number of interceptions with HOs
Kenya
Dominican
Republic
India
China
cut flowers and branches with foliage 289
fruit & vegetables 173
Total 536
fruit & vegetables 457
Total 457
fruit & vegetables 363
Total 447
fruit & vegetables 122
bonsai (intended for planting) 79
Total 290
Source: compiled by FCEC based on EUROPHYT
The notification of interceptions in EUROPHYT is generally seen as an extremely useful tool by
both MS CAs and stakeholders. The majority of MS CAs have indicated that the notification
requirement has been effective in preventing the introduction of HOs into the Community,
although this view is shared by only half the stakeholders who responded to the survey (Q 3.1.i):
General survey results
Q3.1.i Extent to which the notifications of interceptions in EUROPHYT have been effective in preventing the
introduction of HOs into the Community:
23 out of 26 MS CAs and 8 out of 15 stakeholders consider that the notifications of interceptions in EUROPHYT
have been effective (3 MS CAs and 7 stakeholders do not know).
The evaluation identified mainly positive, but also some negative, findings on the usefulness and
effectiveness of the EUROPHYT system.
The key positive finding is that, for a large majority of interviewees, the EUROPHYT database
contains valuable information to monitor new commodities that might pose a risk; it also draws
attention to some countries, some type of consignments, and some companies that could pose
higher phytosanitary risks than others. In most of the MS, the summary of all notifications that is
prepared weekly by the FVO and published via CIRCA is being sent to border posts and to
inspectors to be used as an alert system, so that inspectors can target their inspections for
particular HOs, when new HOs have been notified in EUROPHYT. When MS have notified
certain material, it helps other MS to further target and inspect those types of consignments.
The main negative finding, on which it was generally pointed out that there is need for
improvement, relates to the delays noted in some cases in introducing notifications into the
system. Most of the MS CAs reported a delay of more than the mandatory two days in notifying
in about 90% of the cases (Q 3.4.a and b). In certain cases, delays in EUROPHYT notifications
are significant, up to 50 days. Generally the interception has to be analysed first, resulting in a
report of analysis; only then can a notification be communicated to EUROPHYT. In this process,
the collection of documentation may cause delays. Moreover, the final decision of the importer
on the action taken on the consignment (destruction or return to origin) may cause additional
delays.
Food Chain Evaluation Consortium 90