The certificate/plant passport
After a batch of seed potatoes has been definitively approved, it is certified.
Statutory requirement
The EU has prescribed that all plant material traded within the EU must be provided with a certificate. The colour, dimensions and minimum information to be specified on the certificate are laid down in the Guideline for Trade in Seed Potatoes. The member states are free to specify more than the prescribed minimum information. If so desired, the certificate may also specify a treatment with an agent against storage diseases and/or a specific cultivation technique.
EU Plant Passport
The NAK specifies 'EU Plant Passport' on its well-known NAK certificate as proof that the material in question complies with the relevant phytosanitary requirements (i.e. that it is free from quarantine organisms). Only seed potatoes accompanied by a certificate specifying 'EU Plant Passport' may be marketed within the EU.
Outside the EU the term 'EU Plant Passport' has no meaning. Seed potatoes intended for destinations outside the EU must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate supplied by the Plant Protection Service.
Additional phytosanitary requirements may apply for certain 'protected' areas within the EU. In such cases, a specific code on a certificate/plant passport will indicate compliance with the requirements concerned.
INFORMATION NAK CERTIFICATE