The electronic phytosanitary certificate or ePhyto is the electronic equivalent of a phytosanitary certificate in XML format (online). The use of ePhyto certificate reduces the use of paper as all information in a paper-based phytosanitary certificate is available online as produced in accordance with the ISPM 12 including Appendix 1. The International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) are standards adopted by the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM), which is the governing body of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). One of the benefits of ePhyto included helping participating countries connect to ePhyto’s HUB and GeNs.
The HUB is a system used to facilitate the exchange of ePhytos between the National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPOs). The GeNs (Generic ePhyto National System) is a centralized web-based system that allows countries without their own system to send, receive and produce ePhytos through the HUB. Electronic exchange between countries makes trade faster, safer, and cheaper.
More benefits of ePhyto include country profiles that can be easily uploaded into the system, in which developing countries can participate regardless of infrastructure capacity, and a homogenous trade platform. Subsequently, less dependence on paper would make trade much safer as it would blend smoothly into the country’s trade facilitation objectives.
Our resources on ePhyto were provided by the CPHD Forum Membership at the recently held 15th annual CPHD Forum Meeting. This modern solution allows countries to abide by commitment under the ‘’Trade Facilitation Agreement’’ of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The ePhyto project is an initiative of the International Plant Protection Convention that is seeking to harmonize standards, develop a generic national system, and to implement a global hub to exchange certificates, with a view to making trade in products of plant origin more streamlined and secure.
Read more from our sources below!
Source:
Caribbean Plant Health Directors – Benefits of ePhyto
IPPC – The IPPC ePhyto Solution
IICA – IICA Expert maintains that ePhyto will assist countries to abide by the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement
ePhytoexchange – IPPC ePhyto Solutions
