Plant Health Risk Management

The grain trade convenes at IGTC to monitor, analyze, and influence phytosanitary measures impacting the international trade of grain, oilseeds, and other agri-bulks.  Principle IGTC activities include developing and sharing expertise on phytosanitary standard setting, and the principles of facilitating safe trade, harmonizing official measures, expediting market access negotiations, and enhancing phytosanitary security. IGTC deploys its network on issues such as pest risk analysis; availability of international guidance and pest lists and measures to mitigate pest risks along the value chain.

Read the IGTC's policy document on phytosanitary issues here.

Each shipment which is part of the global trade in plant products is accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate. Every year, millions of such certificates are created, printed, and exchanged between countries. These certificates reassure importers that the products have been inspected and found to be free of the kinds of pests that could devastate their local economy by harming agriculture or the environment.

IGTC engages on this with the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM), which is the governing body of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), on a global system of electronic phytosanitary certificates, known as e-Phyto. ePhyto is designed to eventually replace paper certificates entirely.

Read the IGTC's briefing document here

Read the results of the 2022 IGTC survey on Electronic Trading Documentation here.