Digitization of trade documents: IPPC update on ePhytos in Washington, D.C.

Gary C. Martin, IGTC President, ePhyto presentation 28 June

The IGTC was joined by representatives of global trade flows including seeds, potatoes and fresh produce for an update on electronic phytosanitary certificates in Arlington and Washington D.C this week.

The meetings were led by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), the UN body that is leading a pilot project on the exchange of "ePhytos", with the involvement of 15 countries including Argentina, Australia, China, USA, Netherlands and Egypt. The technology to allow National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPOs) to exchange ePhytos is currently being tested and the pilot will officially be up and running by September 2017.  

An outreach session was also conducted with D.C. Embassies from around the world, in order to raise awareness of the Hub pilot project. The President of IGTC Gary C. Martin gave a presentation at the outreach session, raising awareness of the potential benefits for the trade of digitization, including increased efficiency, cost reduction and more secure transactions.  

Members of the IGTC Working Group on electronic trading documentation can access the information from the meetings via the Intranet at www.igtcglobal.org