The International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) members consist of thousands of growers of flowers and ornamental plants around the world who are together united by one essential goal – promoting the place of plants in people’s lives.
AIPH is responsible for approving the world’s most exceptional horticultural expos creating long lasting green legacies in cities across the globe.
AIPH Blooming Economies & Cities to Inspire The World 2.0. Up-to-date statistics from recent Expos hosted in Asia and Europe.
Learn moreAIPH hosts several conferences, webinars and events such as the International Grower of the Year award throughout the year. Read about these along with the latest news about the association’s activities.
The AIPH International Grower of the Year Awards celebrate the best of the best in ornamental horticulture
Learn moreAIPH’s key aim is to stimulate demand for ornamental trees, plants and flowers worldwide. We are committed to supporting growers in achieving this by protecting and promoting the interests of the industry.
The AIPH’s Global Industry Intelligence Centre (GIIC) is an international hub for industry information and knowledge exchange.
The report contains insights on production and consumption of the floriculture industry in Thailand, imports and exports, and business opportunities
DownloadAIPH Green City activities promote the essential role of plants in creating vibrant urban areas in which people and businesses can thrive.
Due to the UK reclassifying of five genera of cut flowers as medium risk, a discrepancy has arisen during the re-export of non-EU origin Dianthus or Chrysanthemum from the Netherlands to the UK.
The cut flower reclassifications were introduced as part of the UK’s new Border Target Operating Model (B-TOM) – set up by its government to help protect the country’s food and agricultural supply chains from pest and disease outbreaks.
Since January 31 (2024), plants classified as “medium risk” have required both pre-notification and a phytosanitary certificate to be imported into the UK from mainland Europe.
For imports of these flowers into the EU, a phytosanitary certificate (PC) is required with additional declaration (AD) 25 a, b or c, where 25c states: ‘an official statement that the plants have undergone appropriate treatment to protect them from the relevant pest.’
The UK, however, makes an additional request to its AD 36c, which states: “The active ingredient, concentration and date of application of these treatments must be mentioned on the phytosanitary certificate under the heading “disinfestation and/or disinfection treatment”.
The UK’s Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) has confirmed to FCI that, since January 2023, two consignments of Dianthus have been rejected by the UK due to missing ADs 36. No other consignments have been rejected.
The issue stems from the UK’s requirement for additional information on the treatment used to protect the crops against the Spodoptera moth genus.
The moths’ caterpillars (armyworms) can be very economically damaging – feeding on the leaves, stems, and fruits of a wide range of agricultural and horticultural crops (including ornamentals) around the world.
According to Defra, some of the most damaging species of this moth/caterpillar are Spodoptera frugiperda (S. frugiperda) – the fall armyworm, S. litura, and S. littoralis.
The UK experienced several occasional Spodoptera outbreaks in the 1960-90s but there have been no major outbreaks since then. There were some minor outbreaks in 2009/2010 of several larvae at nurseries but these were isolated incidents, and the populations were eradicated.
A Defra representative said: “Interceptions of Spodoptera litura, S. littoralis, S. frugiperda and S. ornithogalli have been reported from the Americas, Africa and Asia but no outbreaks have occurred in the last five years, further demonstrating that our controls are justified and working effectively.”
As the UK is a significant export destination, especially for Dianthus, a solution is crucial to prevent disruptions in the export of Dutch floricultural products.
According to Floridata, Chrysanthemum and Dianthus together represent more than half of the total import of all Colombian flowers by Dutch trading companies.
Ideally, a solution needs to be in place by April 30 when the UK’s B-TOM becomes fully operational. Currently, it is in a transition period but, from April 30 (2024), consignments of high-risk plants and some medium-risk plants will be physically inspected at the UK’s new border control points (BCPs) in addition to the checking of all paperwork.
Solution request
To address this issue, a request will be made to national plant protection organizations (NPPOs) in non-EU countries of origin for Chrysanthemum and Dianthus cut flowers.
Specifically, when AD 25b is provided on a PC with an EU/NL destination, the request is to always include the active ingredient, concentration, and date of application of treatments under the “disinfestation and/or disinfection treatment” heading on the phytosanitary certificate.
Although this information is not legally required for exports to the EU and carries administrative implications, its inclusion is strongly urged due to the importance of the British export market for these products.
In association with Vereniging van Groothandelaren in Bloemkwekerijprodukten (VGB), the main non-EU countries are being approached by NVWA (Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority) with this request.
Colombia has already responded, stating: “indication of the requested data on the phyto certificate is possible, but the exporter must request it himself when applying for the document.
