Phytosanitary Certificates: – Quick Guide What is a Phytosanitary Certificate? A Phytosanitary Certificate is an official document issued by the Horticulture and Plant Health Division of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to indicate that consignments of plants, plant products or other regulated articles meet specified phytosanitary import requirements, and are in conformity with the requirements of the National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) of the Importing Country. When should a Phytosanitary Certificate be required? Importing Countries should only require phytosanitary certificates for regulated articles. These include commodities such as plants, bulbs and tubers, or seeds for propagation, fruits and vegetables, cut flowers and branches, grain, and growing medium. ] Phytosanitary certificates may also be issued for certain plant products that have been processed, where such products, by their nature or that of their processing, have a potential for introducing regulated pests (e.g. wood, cotton). A phytosanitary certificate may also be required for other regulated articles where phytosanitary measures are technically justified (e.g. empty containers, vehicles, and organisms). Importing countries should not require phytosanitary certificates for plant products that have been processed in such a way that they have no potential for introducing regulated pests, or for other articles that do not require phytosanitary measures.
