SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY REQUIREMQENTS
In WTO agreement,
protection of human safety or health, protection of animal and plant life or
health and also protection of the environment is of prime importance, all these
are broadly covered in Sanitary and
Phytosanitary (SPS) requirements. The agreement on the application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures is an integral part of final Act
GATT 1994 (b) and of Agreement on Agriculture.SPS measures are defined as any
measure applied in the following ways-
(a)
To protect animal or plant life or health within the territory of the
member from risks arising from the entry, establishment or spread or pests,
disease and disease carrying organisms;
(b)
To protect human or animal life or health within the territory of the
member from risks arising from additives, contaminants, toxins or disease
causing organisms on foods, beverages or feed stuffs;
(c)
To protect human life or health within the territory of the member from
risks arising from the disease carried by animals,plants or products thereof, or
from the entry, establishment or spread of pests; or
(d)
To prevent or limit other damages within the territory of the member from
the entry, establishment or spread of the pests.
SPS measures include all laws decrees, regulation requirements and
procedures including inter alia, end product criteria, process and production
methods, testing, inspection certification and approval procedures, quarantine
treatments including relevant requirements associated with the transport of
animals or plants or
These measures thus include food additives, contaminants, toxins, drug or
pesticide residues in food, certificate of food, animal or plant health safety,
processing methods, food labelling, plant or animal quarantine, requirement for
prevention, control or establishment of pest or disease and sanitary
requirements for imports. Where as the sanitary provisions relates to food and
animal health, phytosanitary provisions relate to plant health aspects of
products.
Phyto
Sanitary Certification (PSC)
The phytosanitary certificate
is an official declaration stating that plants and plant material that move
across international boundaries are free from pests and diseases so as to
prevent introduction and spread of any pests in the newer areas. PSC paves the
way for rapid screening and expeditious release of imported plants/ plant
material at the port of arrival .In WTO agreement, its adoption has assumed
greater significance.
Facilities
for issue of PSC: The requisite arrangements have been made in the
country for the inspection of PSC.All Plant Quarantine field stations are
authorised to issue PSC in respect of exportable agricultural items, where as
the identified officers of the Argil/Horticulture Departments of States/ Unoin
tritories are to issue PSC
only for perishable commodities comprising fresh fruits and vegetables.
Procedure:
(1) Application
– Exporter has to apply to the PSC Issuing Officer
(PIO)
(2) Intimation
from PIO- about date, place, time to produce exportable material for
certification
(3) Presentation
of consignment-Exporter will
do it at his own expanses
(4) Inspection
(5) Facility
for inspection
(6) Sampling
(7) Post
inspection formalities
(8) Validity
of PSC
(9) Realisation
of fees- to be paid by exporter
(10)
Fumigation of exportable consignment
–, Approval of Pest Control Operator (PCO) is required.
Plant Quarantine Regulation
Destructive
Insects & Pests Act, 1914
The Plant, fruits & Seeds Regulation of import into India, order 1989 (PFS order) Bio security and sanitary-phytosanitary import permit will be issued by the Directorate of Plant Protection Quarantine and Storage, Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Government of India.