New Phytosanitary Certificate System Goes Live

DAERA’s Plant Health Inspection Branch (PHIB) have upgraded their Phytosanitary Certificate System.

Developed by DAERA Digital Services Division, the new platform links to the PartyHub Master Data Management system for party data to enable the creation of enhanced Phytosanitary Certificates with new security features.

Exports of certain plant products, such as seed potatoes and peat, from the UK to non-EU countries requires an internationally recognised Phytosanitary Certificates produced by DAERA. A common UK-wide certificate has been agreed which includes changes to the layout and design with enhanced security measures to prevent fraud. The new system enables these to be implemented by DAERA. 

Martin Porter from DAERA explained: “Increased security features are necessary as there have been recent prosecutions for forging certificates.The introduction of a serious plant pest can have a devastating effect on a country’s agriculture and trade. Phytosanitary Certificates give importing countries the assurance that they can trade safely with our local industry.The new computer system and security features give added confidence to customers that DAERA certificates are genuine.”

The new certificate incorporates a secure signature watermark, which works in conjunction with the security label, to make it very difficult to forge. The security labels for the certificates are developed by Newry based, Nautilus NI Ltd.

David Minish from Digital Services Division added: “The implementation of the enhanced security for certificates required specialised development to incorporate the new anti-counterfeiting technology of the security label. These significantly reduce the ability to forge certificates with the system itself being able to provide greater certificate tracking capabilities. In addition, the new web based system links to the PartyHub database aligning with the DAERA Digital Strategy regarding Master Data Management and interactive systems.”

The New Phytosanitary Certificate System went live at the beginning of April.

Notes to editors: 

1. Photo caption - Martin Porter and David Minish highlight the new Phytosanitary Certificate System from DAERA’s Plant Health Inspection Branch. The Certificates are mandatory for the export of plant products, such as potatoes, to non-EU countries. The new system features enhanced security and includes measures to prevent fraud.
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