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)
Traders consider that the PZs are an obstacle to trade. In practice, the logistical complexity of
using specific ―PZ‖ plant passports leads to non-respect of this obligation, using the conventional
plant passport instead of the PZ plant passport (as will be discussed in the following section).
During the field visits, it was indicated that the EU is not strict enough, allowing the maintenance
of PZ status in cases it should be removed, or not taking action in cases of a lack of surveillance
of HOs or evidence that the area is infested by the specific HO for which the status was granted.
In conclusion, EU implementation of PZs has meant that in practice, even in the case of repeated
findings of the relevant HO(s) or absence of effective surveillance and reporting, the status of PZ
is maintained beyond the period allowed by the base Directive. The rule that the PZ status is lost
if attempts over two years to eradicate infestation prove unsuccessful has not been fully applied,
leading to the situation that several designated PZs are actually considered as to be infested. MS
have argued that the loss of PZ status would lead to significant economic damage in the region(s)
concerned.
3.6.2 Functioning of the PZ plant passport
Specific Protected Zone (―PZ‖) plant passports have to be issued to ensure that if a plant, plant
product or other object has received the qualification for a specific PZ, it is recognized and
moved within the EU as such. The code for the PZ is indicated on the plant passport, in
conjunction with the distinctive marking 'ZP' (Zona Protecta) indicating that the said plant
passport covers a plant, plant product or other object qualified for entry to a PZ.
General survey results
Q5.4 Extent to which the PZ plant passport provides sufficient guarantees that plants and plant products
entering the PZs are safe for the relevant HO
8 out of 24 MS CAs and 5 out of 20 stakeholders consider the PZ plant passport provides sufficient guarantees that
plants and plant products entering the PZs are safe for the relevant HO. (4 MS CA and 15 stakeholders do not know)
* Q 5.3 in the case of the stakeholder q/naire
The results of the general survey indicate that the PZ plant passport is not considered as
providing sufficient guarantees that the plants and the plant products entering the PZs are safe for
the relevant HO. Even though ‗ZP‘ marking on a plant passport should normally provide
sufficient guarantees, it is not sufficiently reliable without a complete traceability system that
would trace back to the origin of the plants and plants products, through all their movements.
Interviewees and NPPOs reported during the interviews and commented in the survey that, too
often, material accompanied by the relevant plant passport nevertheless proves to be infested,
because traders are not always sufficiently aware of the specific requirements for PZs, and even
operators situated in PZs do not insist that their suppliers fulfil the PZ requirements.
Due to poor awareness by both inspectors and producers, the mark ‗ZP‘ is often seen more as an
administrative formality than a guarantee that specific controls have been carried out and that
relevant provisions for PZs have been satisfied. This observation confirms earlier findings of the
Food Chain Evaluation Consortium 132