Phytosanitary examination: Ukraine experience and international standards

Abstract

The article explores Ukraine’s experience in conducting phytosanitary expertise based on international standards. It was stated that Ukraine should develop a series of draft in national legislation in the field of quarantine and plant protection, which would be adapted to the legislation of the European Union and at the same time meet the requirements of the International Plant Protection Convention. In this area, Ukraine has already partially implemented some structural reforms in the phytosanitary sector, but these processes require continued state support and encouragement, international coordination that will facilitate the development of agriculture in general. Such coordination can be undertaken primarily in the framework of international universal organisations within the UN system, in particular within FAO. It has been emphasised that Law of Ukraine No. 2501-VIII “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Regulation of Some Phytosanitary Procedures” came into force on February 2, 2019. Among the innovations are the granting of the right to carry out expert examination to private laboratories, new terms in the field of plant quarantine and the creation of the Register of Phytosanitary Certificates issued. It has been concluded that Ukraine is currently actively applying international standards, participating in their development and registering official translations of international standards for phytosanitary measures. Developing national and applying international standards, as a key factor in creating a quality system in the field of plant quarantine, not only ensure full fulfilment by Ukraine of its obligations under the IPPC and SPS, agreeing on the phytosanitary safety of exported quarantine cargoes, but also increase the competitiveness of the domestic vegetal products in the world market. This creates a positive image of Ukraine as a reliable trading partner that does not violate the requirements of other countries and guarantees the conformity of product quality, phytosanitary procedures to internationally recognised standards. Therefore, for qualified phytosanitary examinations, the mechanism of guaranteeing compliance with national and international standards, amending legislation, introducing effective penalties for violation of the rules and procedure for conducting phytosanitary examinations should be a promising area