APHIS Announces Public Meeting on Proposed Phytosanitary Certificate "Issuance and Tracking System
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a notice announcing that its Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program will hold a public meeting on July 14, 2005 in Riverdale, MD in order to exchange information and receive input on the proposed Phytosanitary Certificate Issuance and Tracking System (PCIT).
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Since 2002, PPQ has been working with Electronic Data Systems to develop a national PCIT, which APHIS states would improve the tracking and traceback of Federal phytosanitary certificates, improve reporting capabilities, and reduce the incidence of errors and fraud.
Capabilities of PCIT Will Be Demonstrated at July 14 Public Meeting, Etc.
According to APHIS, PCIT is an interactive, Web-based system that will allow U.S. exporters to apply for phytosanitary certificates, schedule commodity inspections, and make payments on-line. PCIT will also allow APHIS to better manage Authorized Certification Officers' workload and enhance security and accountability of phytosanitary certificates.
PPQ is holding the July 14, 2005 public meeting in order to demonstrate the capabilities of the system and to provide information to interested industries about PCIT releases 2.0, 2.5 (the payment engine), and 3.0.
(According to APHIS, PPQ provides certification of plants and plant products as a service to exporters. After assessing the phytosanitary condition of the plants or plant products intended for export, relative to the receiving country's regulations, an inspector issues an internationally recognized phytosanitary certificate (PPQ Form 577), a phytosanitary certificate for reexport (PPQ Form 579), an export certificate for processed plant products (PPQ Form 578), or a certificate of heat treatment (PPQ Form 553) if warranted. The regulations concerning export certification for plants and plant products are contained in 7 CFR Part 353. APHIS notes that currently, more than 1,000 phytosanitary certificates are being tracked and issued manually per year.)
APHIS contact - Jo Ann Morris (301) 734-5255
APHIS notice (D/N 05-029-1, FR Pub 06/21/05) available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/E5-3205.pdf