Accreditation of Offshore Plant Quarantine Facilities and Operators

MAF Biosecurity Authority (Plants) Standard PIT.OS.TRA.ACPQF

8 October 2001

This document is also available in PDF format: pit-os-tra-acpqf.pdf (37 KB)

Information about viewing PDF files

Contents

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Service Requirements
• 3. Technical And Systems Requirements

1. Introduction

1.1 Scope

This standard describes the requirements for the accreditation of offshore quarantine facilities, operators and systems for the containment and inspection/testing of plant propagation material to be exported to New Zealand.

Before propagation material can be imported to New Zealand through accredited offshore quarantine facilities the following requirements must be in place:

• an import health standard for the commodity concerned
• an agreement between the operator of the facility and MAF on the phytosanitary measures to be undertaken by the facility to meet New Zealand import requirements.

1.2 References And Complementary Documents

The following documents are referred to, or complement the implementation of this Standard:

• Biosecurity Act 1993 (as amended by the Biosecurity Amendment Act 1997).
• Import health standards issued by New Zealand MAF.
• Import health permits issued by New Zealand MAF.
• Glossary of Phytosanitary Terms ISPM Pub. No. 5. 1999. International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures. Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention. FAO.

1.3 Definitions And Acronyms

For the purposes of this MAF Standard the following definitions and acronyms apply:

Accreditation

A process implemented by the DPB for ensuring that the overseas supplier has the capacity and the technical competence to provide plant propagation material in accordance with the requirements specified in this Standard.

Accredited

Official recognition by the DPB that a supplier is competent to provide a service in accordance with this Standard.

Audit

An official evaluation to determine the degree of conformity with prescribed criteria in this Standard.

DPB

Acronym for the Director, Plants Biosecurity. The official contact point for the NPPO (MAF) in New Zealand.

Competence

The ability to do something well and effectively.

Growing medium

Any material in which plant roots are growing or intended for that purpose [FAO, 1990].

Import health permit

An official document issued by the DPB that specifies the conditions under which a particular commodity may be imported into New Zealand and which may be a requirement of an import health standard.

Import health standard

A document (s) issued under section 22 of the Biosecurity Act that specifies the requirements for the effective management of risks associated with the importation of risk goods into New Zealand.

Inspection

Official visual examination of plants, plant products or other regulated articles to determine if pests are present and/or to determine compliance with phytosanitary regulations [FAO, 1990, revised FAO, 1995; formerly inspect].

Inspector

Person authorised by a NPPO to discharge its functions [FAO, 1990].

IPPC

Acronym for International Plant Protection Convention, as deposited in 1951 with FAO in Rome and as subsequently amended [FAO, 1990].

MAF

Acronym for Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. MAF is New Zealand’s NPPO as prescribed by the IPPC.

National Plant Protection Organisation

Official service established by a government to discharge the functions specified by the IPPC [FAO, 1990; formerly Plant Protection Organisation (National)].

NPPO

Acronym for National Plant Protection Organisation [FAO, 1990].

Official

Established, authorised or performed by a NPPO [FAO, 1990].

Pest

Any species, strain or biotype of plant, animal, pathogenic agent injurious to plants or plant products [FAO, 1990, revised FAO, 1995, IPPC, 1997].

Phytosanitary certificate

Certificate patterned after the model certificates of the IPPC [FAO, 1990].

Phytosanitary certification

Use of phytosanitary procedures leading to the issue of a phytosanitary certificate [FAO, 1990].

Post-entry quarantine

Quarantine applied to a consignment after entry [FAO, 1995].

Procedure

A document that specifies, as applicable, the purpose and scope of an activity; what shall be done and by whom; when, where, and how it shall be done; what materials, equipment, and documentation shall be used; and how it shall be controlled.

Propagation material

Whole plants or parts of plants intended for growing purposes.

Quarantine

Official confinement of regulated articles for observation and research or for further inspection, testing and/or treatment [FAO, 1990, revised FAO, 1995; CEPM, 1999].

Quarantine facility

Equivalent to quarantine station.

Quarantine operator

A person accredited by the DPB as having responsibility for the operation of a quarantine facility.

Quarantine station

Official station for holding plants or plant products in quarantine [FAO; 1990; revised FAO, 1995].

Quarantine pests

A pest of potential economic importance to the area endangered thereby and not yet present there, or present but not widely distributed and being officially controlled [FAO, 1990, revised FAO, 1995; IPPC 1997].

Standard

Document established by consensus and approved by a recognised body, that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context [FAO, 1995; ISO/IEC Guide 2:1992 definition].

Testing

Official examination, other than visual, to determine if pests are present or to identify the pests [FAO, 1990].

Treatment

Officially authorised procedure for the killing, removal or rendering infertile of pests [FAO, 1990, revised FAO, 1995].

2. Service Requirements

2.1 Accreditation

The quarantine facility and operator accreditation process includes the following steps:

A site audit and assessment of:

• The inspection/testing methods for specified quarantine pests.
• The structural aspects of the facility.
• The sanitary aspects of the facility.
• The records pertaining to critical aspects of pest detection, prevention or control.
• The competence of staff (including the quarantine operator).

New Zealand MAF will grant accreditation status for a prescribed time when the assessment has been completed and compliance established. A notice of accreditation by the DPB will be sent to each facility.

Maintenance of accreditation status is subject to ongoing audits by New Zealand MAF at a frequency to be determined by New Zealand MAF. Costs will be recovered from industry in accordance with MAF cost recovery policy.

2.2 Management

The organisation responsible for the operation of the quarantine facility must have a clearly established management structure with one person (i.e. the quarantine operator) having responsibility for the operation of the facility; including arranging care of material, testing of material, documentation of results, security, treatment and destruction of pest infected/infested material.

2.3 Records

The quarantine operator shall keep records of:

• The origin of the material to be tested.
• The date of entry of the material into the facility.
• Any officially required pre-export inspection/testing/treatment.
• Staff competencies.

Records shall be maintained for a minimum of two years and shall be available to New Zealand MAF on request.

2.4 Access For Audit Purposes

Access to the quarantine facility (including records) shall be granted to New Zealand MAF and NPPO inspectors upon request.

2.5 Staff

Staff involved in all pest inspection, testing and treatment activities must be technically competent.

2.6 Audit For Compliance

During containment of the material intended for export to New Zealand there shall be an audit undertaken by New Zealand MAF or the NPPO inspectors at least once a year.

Instances of non-compliance will be classified according to the severity with which they affect the ability of the testing facility to operate according to this Standard. Isolated instances of non-compliance are likely to be dealt with by agreeing corrective actions but repeated instances of non-compliance and major/critical non-compliances will lead to the suspension of MAF accreditation.

2.7 Reporting

A report on each completed compliance audit shall be prepared giving details of the scope of the audit, any instances of non-compliance with this standard, agreed corrective actions and any follow up activities. The report shall be finished within one month of completing the audit and a copy forwarded to the DPB, MAF.

2.8 Reporting Of Pest Detections

The quarantine operator shall report within fourteen days all incidences of pest detection associated with any of the pests denoted with an asterisk (*) in Attachment 1 of the bilateral quarantine arrangement, to the NPPO responsible for certification, and to DPB, MAF.

3. Technical And Systems Requirements

3.1 Quarantine Facility

3.1.1 General requirements

The function of the facility includes inspection, testing and treatment of plant propagation material before exportation to New Zealand.

The quarantine facility shall be constructed and operated in a manner that shall exclude pests and vectors.

The facility shall be operated in a way that material for export can not be mixed with other material.

The facility shall implement a system for monitoring insects within the facility.

3.1.2 Growing media

All propagation material destined for export to New Zealand shall be grown in sterilised or inert media.

3.1.3 Sanitation

Safeguards shall be in place during routine operation of the facility to prevent the introduction and spread of all types of pest.

3.2 Storage

After inspection and testing activities have been successfully completed, all plant propagation material must be stored in a secured manner to prevent re-infestation. Plants shall be shipped and/or transported in pest proof packaging.

3.3 Security

Quarantine facilities must be secured so that material cannot be contaminated, mixed or removed without official authorisation. There must be adequate procedures for controlling access to the facility.

3.4 Certification

New Zealand MAF requires plant propagation material from accredited sources to be accompanied by a completed Phytosanitary certificate with required additional declarations.

Page last updated: 30 April 2008