Miller Magazine Issue: 139 July 2021

91 ARTICLE MILLER / july 2021 for cross-border trade). The Solution also meets the re- quirements of International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) 12 Annex 1. Now more than ever, work is underway to augment global implementation of the Solution which aims to im- plement an accessible way for all governments to ex- change phytosanitary certificates electronically via a global Hub. It originally brought together 10 countries and now around 95 are registered in the Hub, and 32 through GenS, with over 1 million certificates exchanged as of May 2021. The work is being led and supported by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF), the United Nations International Computing Centre (UNICC) and government funders. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a supporter of this work as well. The system is effortlessly handling approximately 80,000 certificates per month , with the capacity to han- dle (in the current configuration) up to 100,000 certifi- cates per day . Recent success stories among governmental plant protection authorities have included: • The integration of the ePhyto Solution with the Euro- pean Union’s in-house digitalization platform “TRACES” • United States active exchanges with 48 countries • Argentina’s 100% paperless implementation with four countries • Adoption in Korea “across all commod- ities” from May 2021 • Uganda’s decision to choose the grains and pulses sector to begin full adoption in November 2020 • Onboarding and active testing between Argentina and China The grain trade sees the ePhyto Solution as an important part of the drive to stream- line border processes, reduce time for cargo clearance, and reduce unnecessary cost burdens in trade. Bearing in mind the government-to-government nature of phy- tosanitary certificate exchange, anecdotal reports from the United States phytosani- tary authority APHIS show a cost saving of around 25USD per ePhyto case study. However, other benefits noted include greater time efficiencies in documentation creation and exchange, reduction of time spent on customs clearance processes, and greater collaboration amongst different stakehold- ers. Our work as the grain trade on the ePhyto is growing as more and more countries and industries adopt the Solution, and there is an increasing focus on interopera- bility with the private sector. Some key points to bear in mind for our grain sector are as follows: • The grain trade remains supportive of the wholesale adoption of a fully functioning ePhyto exchange model with the proactive involvement of the entire supply chain • The ultimate aim is for there to be no requirements to maintain paper certificates • It will be crucial for private sector operators to contin- ue well-established, efficient trading practices that cur- rently underpin the supply chain • The grain trade supports the use of the defined har- monized message schema in the ePhyto Solution and encourages governments, particularly those of strategic importance for the grain industry, to support implemen- tation as quickly as possible • The grain trade calls for government support as it aims to provide practical insights on the commercial im- pacts of the system via the “industry case studies”, which will ultimately contribute to a strengthened cost-benefit analysis and a more workable ePhyto system. However, it is critical that participation in the ePhyto Solution is representative and inclusive of all industries and countries. The ePhyto Solution Steering Group iden- tified the need to have industry input and participation