Miller Magazine Issue: 139 July 2021

93 ARTICLE MILLER / july 2021 in the next phase of the ePhyto Solution by organizing case studies. The purpose of the industry case studies is to identify issues – technical, regulatory, business flow, or otherwise – and to provide clarity to all parties regard- ing the ePhyto process and how it can benefit suppliers and end users. Results from these industry case studies aim to inform best practices for trade to move forward with electronic documents and eventually, paperless ex- ecution. Since 2018, 43 case studies have been conducted, mainly in the grains sector (Argentina-USA, Argenti- na-Chile, USA-New Zealand) but there have also been a limited number in cotton and seeds. Since Mexico adopt- ed the Solution, exchanges with the United States have allowed the grain trade to perform case studies across different transportation methods – vessel, rail, and truck. This has highlighted the truly influential benefits of a safe and secure exchange platform. The opportunity for case studies with the European Union (EU) should not be overlooked given that all EU Member States can now interface with ePhyto through the TRACES mechanism. IGTC has also been asked to volunteer for case studies in other countries that have recently come online such as Morocco. Ultimately, the IAG is committed to the following guiding principles: • Active participation in system development • Participation in pilots and testing • Participation in IPPC support for implementation • Collaboration with NPPOs to develop efficient pro- cesses and best practices • Collaborate with IPPC on system enhancements Up to now, there are positive indica- tions from the case studies that “ePhy- to contributes to greater efficiency and ease of export/import processes”. No major unintended consequences have been identified. However, the case studies have also highlighted the need for greater collaboration between gov- ernments, industry, and regional plant protection organizations (NPPO’s) to increase implementation but also im- prove communication around the Solu- tion and identify ways for each stake- holder to contribute to the adoption and onboarding of the Solution. The IAG is once again partnering with the IPPC Secretariat to host ePh- yto Solution workshops to help facili- tate communication between importers, exporters, trade association and NPPO’s on the benefits of adopting the Solution and eventual use of the Hub or the generic sys- tems, GenS. Furthermore, the goal is to bring visibility and understanding of the status of the ePhyto implemen- tation in each country to help foster stronger relation- ships amongst all interested stakeholders. The Solution is only successful to the extent that all stakeholders are engaged and remain so to ensure the sustainable and consistent use of this trade facilitation tool. To date, three workshops have been successful- ly launched with the Republic of Korea, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas. However, several more are in process. The next workshop is scheduled with Costa Rica ON August 4, 2021. Even though 95 countries have adopted the Solution so far, many are at different stages of adoption. The goal of the Solution is to ensure that global adoption occurs. In the picture below, green signifies all the countries fully onboarded into the Hub. It is critical to ensure the map is fully green as soon as possible. As more countries adopt the Solution, the greater the opportunity for the phys- ical trade, in all industries, to utilize the benefits of the Solution. The ePhyto Solution is the only initiative post-Covid that is attracting large numbers of governments taking positive action to implement trade facilitation. According to FAO reports, Covid was a time when trade restrictions were imposed at record numbers, the ePhyto Solution can be a beacon guiding governments on what trade fa- cilitation should look like moving forward.