The task of the Service de la Protection des Végétaux (Plant Health Service) is to implement the European Union's phytosanitary directives and, in particular, to issue phytosanitary passports and phytosanitary certificates.

The phytosanitary passport is the document that confirms that the seed potatoes comply with regulations concerning organisms that lead to quarantine as described in the European directive 2000/24/CEE and which allows them to be transported freely in the European Union. In France, the phytosanitary passport is made out on the SOC certificate (see "certificate").

Phytosanitary certificates are the documents that are needed for seed potatoes to be sold in countries outside the European Union. They deal with both quarantine-regulated organisms and quality-regulated organisms.

For seed potatoes, the D.G.A.L. / S.P.V. has made an agreement to delegate to SOC the inspection for organisms that lead to quarantine and the administration for the phytosanitary passport. In order to ensure that the procedures are properly conducted, the D.G.A.L. / S.P.V. carry out audits on inspections in the field and work done in the laboratories.

For issuing phytosanitary certificates, the S.P.V. relies essentially on the results of the inspections made by SOC. But additional inspections may be made to comply with the individual regulations of importing countries not covered by the certification.



For more information on the D.G.A.L. / S.P.V., consult the website:
www.agriculture.gouv.fr.