1 
 Draft of the “Quarantine Requirements for the Importation of 
Fresh Apples from  Italy”  
（In case of any discrepancy between the Chinese text and the English translation thereof, 
the Chinese text shall govern ） 
 
1. The importation of fresh apples ( Malus  spp.) from  Italy shall be regulated 
pursuant to th e “Quarantine Requirements for the Importation of Plants or Plant 
Products into Taiwan ” along with the regulations in these quarantine  requirement . 
2. These quarantine requirements apply to the fresh fruits of apple ( Malus  spp.) 
produced in Italy.  
3. The terms  used in this quarantine requirement s are defined as follows ： 
3.1 GAP: Good Agricultural Practices.  
3.2 Supplying orchard: Production site on which apples are grown. Multiple 
varieties of ap ples could be grown at one site . 
3.3 Codling moth  (Cydia pomonella ): All stages of its life cycle, includin g egg, 
larvae, pupae , and adult . 
3.4 Mediterranean fruit fly ( Ceratitis  capitata ): All stages o f its life cycle, 
including egg , larvae, pupae , and adult.  
3.5 Lot: The s et of unit  of packages of apples to be exported to Taiwan, or the 
set of unit  to be exported . 
3.6 Export season: Season of the export of apples produced in Italy, from  01 
August  to 31 July of the following year . 
4. REQUIREMENTS FOR SUPPLYING ORCHARDS  
4.1 The supplying orchards must be GAP certified with traceable records. The 
Servizio Fitosanitario Nazionale  (hereinafter referred to as  the “SFN”) and 
Bureau of Animal and Plant  Health Inspection and Quarantine  (hereinafter 
referred to as “BAPHIQ ”) may check the certification . 
4.2 The supplying orchards must implement one or a combination of the 
following measures to control codling moth:  
4.2.1 Installing sex pheromone traps: Traps must be  installed in the fields of 
supplying orchards before apples reach their full blossom stage. For 
supplying orchard s up to (including) 8 hectares, one trap per hectare is 
required . For supplying orchards exceeding this size, one additional 
trap must be inst alled for every additional 2  hectares. One inspection 
per week  is required for the detection of the presence of codling moth s. 
If the population density of codling moths reaches 3 or more per trap 
per week, effective control measures  must be taken immediat ely. 2 
 Pheromone lures must be replaced regularly and complete records of 
monitoring and control must be kept for audit.  
4.2.2 Mating disruption of codling moth s: Using the mating disruption 
method, one codling moth specific sex pheromone trap with a high 
concentr ation of pheromone shall be installed in each orchard to 
monitor the population dynamics of codling moth s. Complete records 
of monitoring and control must be kept for audit.  
4.3 Supplying orchards shall meet the aforementioned requirements and be 
registered with the SFN. This register ing action shall  include the orchard ’s 
code and name, along with the identification of the region  and county  
where the supplying orchard is located . 
5. REQUIREMENTS FOR PACKINGHOUSES  
5.1 Packing houses shall be registered by the SFN. 
5.2 Packinghouses shall be equipped with insect -proof equipment. Windows or 
air holes must be covered with a screen of fine meshes with diameter of 1.6 
mm or less. Entrances or doors shall be equipped with air curtains  (where 
air is blown downwards) , rubber cu rtains, or other insect -proof equipment s. 
5.3 Packinghouses shall be equipped with fresh fruits sorting apparatus es and 
sufficient light to perform inspections.  
5.4 Packinghouses shall have at least one qualified technician, who  is able to 
identify apple fruits infested by codling moth s, and is involved in the sorting 
and selection of apples for exporting to Taiwan. Complete training records of 
the technician or related information must be kept in the packinghouses.  
5.5 Packinghouses sh all provide adequate apparatuses and equipment s to facilitate 
plant health inspectors to perform inspections, pest identification , and other 
required work.  
5.6 Prior to the start of the packing process each year, appropriate pest control 
measures shall be take n to remove quarantine pests inside the packinghouse. If 
necessary, sterilization measures shall be performed to ensure sanitation in the 
packinghouse.  
5.7 Packinghouse s shall confirm that the apples to be exported to Taiwan which 
they have packed are from sup plying orchards which meet the 
above -mentioned requirements. Apples not sourced from supplying orchards 
meet the above -mentioned requirements must not be packed and exported to 
Taiwan. If apples from supplying orchards which do not produce apples to be 
exported to Taiwan are stored inside the cold storage warehouse at the same 
time,  a properly separated space shall be provided for storing apples to be 
exported to Taiwan.  3 
 5.8 If the boxes used for packaging have air holes, these air holes shall be sealed 
with a screen of fine meshes having diameters of 1.6 mm or less, or the 
transport shall be conducted in completely sealed conditions to prevent pest 
infestation.  
5.9 Inspectors of the SFN shall inspect the packinghouses each year prior to the 
start of the packing pro cess and confirm that they comply with these 
quarantine  requirements.  
5.10 Two months prior to the apple export season every year, the SFN shall 
provide BAPHIQ with the list and codes of legal packinghouses that meet the 
aforementioned requirements.  
6. PRE -SELECTION PROCEDURES    
6.1 Apples shall be sorted at least twice before packaging by the packinghouse 
staffs with plant pest control training, in order to remove all deformed or 
damaged fruits. The procedures are as follows : 
6.1.1 First sampling (before  the packing process)  
6.1.1.1  For every lot of apples that comes from supplying orchards 
producing apples to be exported to Taiwan, 600 apple samples 
shall be taken for inspection before the packing process, and at 
least 50 apples among these must be cut for inspectio n.  
6.1.1.2  Damaged apples which are suspected of being infe sted by the 
codling moth shall be preferably selected as samples for inspection. 
If there is no damaged apple present, the sample will then be 
selected randomly . 
6.1.1.3  This sampling procedure will be conducted by the packinghouse 
staff and supervised by the SFN. 
6.1.1.4  If two or more apples with codling moth damage or two or more 
dead codling moths are detected, the  given  lot will be rejected for 
exportation to Taiwan . 
6.1.1.5  If any live codling moth is detected during this pre -inspection, the 
lot will be rejected from exportation and the supplying orchard 
which has produced this lot of apples will be withdrawn from the 
qualified list for the remainder of this export season for apple 
expo rt to Taiwan . 
6.1.1.6  All sampling and inspection records shall be properly maintained . 
6.1.2 Second sampling (on the packing line)  
6.1.2.1  Apples shall be taken from the packing line for sample  inspection 
every hour . 
6.1.2.2  Damaged apples which are suspected of being infested by the 4 
 codling moth will be selected as fruits for inspection. These 
damaged apples shall all be cut and checked for live codling moth . 
6.1.2.3  From each lot, at least 100 apples must be selected for inspection . 
Damaged apples which are suspected of being infected by the  
codling moth shall be preferably selected as samples for inspection. 
If there is no damaged apple present, the sample will then be 
selected randomly .  
6.1.2.4  This procedure will be conducted by the packinghouse staff and 
supervised by the SFN. 
6.1.2.5  If two or more apples with codling moth damage or two or more 
dead codling moths are detected, the given lot will be rejected for 
exportation to Taiwan . 
6.1.2.6  If any live codling moth is detected during this pre -inspection, the 
lot will be rejected for exportation and the supp lying orchard 
produc ing this lot of apples will be withdrawn from the qualified 
list for the remainder of this export season for apple export to 
Taiwan . 
6.1.2.7  All sampling and inspection records shall be properly maintained . 
6.2 Culled apples shall be placed in containers and discarded or destroyed every 
day. All security measures implemented by the packinghouses in the 
packing process shall be supervised by the SFN. 
6.3 Measures shall be taken to prevent pest infestation while packag ed apples 
are shipped from packinghouses to airplanes, vessels or containers . 
7. EXPORT INSPECTION PROCEDURE  
7.1 Packaged apples must be inspected by the  inspectors of  the SFN.  
7.2 The sampling standard is as follows : 
7.2.1 At least 2% of total number of boxes of this lot  of apples must be 
sampled .  
7.2.2 All apples of each sampled box must be inspected . 
7.2.3 For each sampled box, two apples must be taken and cut for inspection .  
7.3 If two or more apples with codling moth damage or two or more dead 
codling moths are detected, the given lot will be rejected  for exportation to 
Taiwan . 
7.4 If any live codling moth or other quarantine pests are found during 
inspection, the given lot will be rejected for exportation to  Taiwan, and the 
supplying orchard produc ing this lot of apples will be withdrawn from the 
qualified list to export to  Taiwan for the remainder of this export season . 
7.5 If any live codling moth is found during inspection, the packinghouse 5 
 which is responsible for packing this lot of apples must  be tem porally 
suspended from exporting apples to Taiwan until the SFN has identified the  
cause of the event and has taken appropriate action to solve the problem. 
The relevant investigation report s shall be provided to  BAPHIQ by the SFN. 
8. IN-TRANSIT COLD TREATMENT DURING SEA TRANSPORTATION 
FOR THE  MEDITERRANEAN FRUIT FL IES: 
8.1 After the inspector of the SFN conducts the export inspection, all the 
packed apples from Italy to Taiwan should be treated with in -transit cold 
treatment during sea transportation . 
8.2 Pre-cooling Treatment  
8.2.1 Fresh apples to be treated with in -transit cold treatment during sea 
transportation must undergo pre -cooling treatment. The pre -cooling 
temperature shall not be higher than the designated temperature for 
cold treatment  (for relevant schedules, please see Annex).  
8.2.2 The SFN shall provide a pre -cooling certificate, which shall specify the 
pre-cooling temperature. Alternatively, the pre -cooling temperature 
before cold treatment shall be stated on the phytosanitary certificate . 
8.3 Guidelines for Conducting Cold treatment  
8.3.1 For refrigerated containers used for in -transit cold treatment, 
temperature loggers should be calibrated by authorized agencies under 
the supervision of the SFN. 
8.3.2 The temperature probes used to measure apple pulp t emperature in 
refrigerated containers must be inserted and secured in the apple pulp.  
8.3.3 If automatic temperature recorders are to be used in the refrigerated 
containers, then a minimum of three temperature recorders shall be 
placed in the middle row of the c onsignment, 50 cm to 100 cm from 
the container doors, with one recorder in the center at the top of the 
container, and one each on the left and right hand sides at the bottom of 
the container.  
8.3.4 If the refrigerated containers are equipped with temperature pr obes and 
computerized temperature recording facilities, then three temperature 
probes shall be used. The probes shall be placed in the middle row of 
the consignment, 50 cm to 100 cm from the container doors, with one 
probe in the center at the top of the c ontainer, and one each of the left 
and right hand sides at the bottom of the container.  
8.3.5 If temperature is not recorded in a continuous way, then the 
temperature in the containers shall be recorded at least once every 
hour.  6 
 8.3.6 Cold treatment is calculated from  when the core temperature of the 
apple has reached the regulated temperature. Cold treatment may be 
commenced on -shore (prior to sea vessel departure) but shall not be 
completed on -shore in Italy.  
8.4 Apples which are treated with cold temperature shall not b e mixed with 
other fruits, vegetables or articles in the same container during 
transportation.  
8.5 Refrigerated containers must be sealed with a container seal before the 
commencement of cold treatment.  
9. EXPORT CERTIFICATION ACTIVITIE S 
9.1 The name or code number  of the packinghouse must be marked on the 
packing boxes. 
9.2 The export phytosanitary certificate issued by the SFN shall accompany the 
apples that passed the inspection for exporting to Taiwan.  
9.3 The export phytosanitary  certificate shall contain the following additional 
declaration: This lot of apples has been inspected and found free of 
Ceratitis capitate , Cydia pomonella , Frankliniella occidentalis , Erwinia 
amylovora  and Anarsia lineatella . 
9.4 If the relevant requirements  established by BAPHIQ have been changed, 
the previous additional declaration shall be amended in accordance with the 
new requirements.  
9.5 The export phytosanitary certificate issued by the SFN shall not only 
contain the contents of item 3 of this Article, bu t also contain the 
information of the supplying orchard  (name or code), the packinghouse 
(name or code), the inspection date, the refrigerated container numbers and 
container seal numbers. In addition, the pre -cooling temperature should be 
declared on the phytosanitary certificate if there is no pre -cooling 
certificate.  
9.6 Fresh apples, which have passed the export inspection and for which the 
phytosanitary certificate has been issued, shall be exported within 14 days. 
If not, a further inspection shall be con ducted and a new export 
phytosanitary certificate issued by the SFN must be issued before export.  
10. IMPORT INSPECTION  
10.1 During shipping and upon arrival, the lock of the ship’s compartment or 
seal of the container shall not be unlocked or broken before the BAPHIQ 
quarantine inspectors are on site . 
10.2 BAPHIQ will verify that the phytosanitary certificate issued by the SFN is 
in compliance with the aforementioned quarantine requirements . 7 
 10.3 Procedures, methods, and sampling for import inspection shall follow the 
“Enforcement Rules on The Plant Protection and Quarantine Act” and other 
quarantine regulations.  
10.4 The temperature of the refrigerated container shall be inspected and verified 
in accordance with the following stipulations:  
10.4.1  The temperature records of the apple pulp temperatures in the 
refrigerated containers must be read on site during the inspection. If it 
is not possible to read the temperature records, the information of 
temperature records must be downloaded onto a suitable recording 
medium on site for readi ng at a later time or the actual temperature 
recorders taken away for down loading. The temperature record 
sheets and the inspection and quarantine record sheets are still 
required to be printed out at a later time for filing purposes.  
10.4.2  If the duration of c ontinuous cold treatment of the imported fresh 
apple fails to meet the requirement for duration upon arrival in 
Taiwan, the treatment must be continued after arrival at the port. 
Application for on -site inspection and quarantine shall not be 
submitted unti l the designated requirements for treatment are met. 
However, if the refrigerated containers have already been opened and 
have failed to meet the temperature requirements during BAPHIQ 
inspection, the  lot of apples shall not continue to be disinfested or 
treated with low temperature.  
10.4.3  The temperature record of the readings of various temperature 
recorders in the refrigerated containers must meet the treatment 
temperature requirements. If any  temperature logger  fails to comply 
with the requirements, the parti cular lot of apples would be deemed as 
failing to meet the inspection and quarantine assessment.  
10.4.4  If two or more temperature loggers malfunction or cannot measure 
temperatures due to detached probes, that the lot of apples would be 
deemed as non -compliant to the temperature standards and failing to 
meet the import quarantine inspection.  
10.5 If the lot of apples is not accompanied by the phytosanitary certificate or 
the pre -cooling certificate issued by the SFN, or the contents listed on the 
phytosanitary  certificate do not meet these quarantine requirements and 
other related regulations, the correct certificate must be re -submitted, or the 
lot of apples shall be returned or destroyed.  
10.6 If any liv e Mediterranean fruit fly is found during  the inspection, the  
following measures will be applied:  8 
 10.6.1  The lot of apples will be rejected or destroyed.  
10.6.2  BAPHIQ will notify the SFN, provide the copy of the phytosanitary 
certificate, the picture of the Mediterranean fruit fly and the 
information of the packing box . The SFN must  temporarily suspend 
the export of fresh apples from Italy.  
10.6.3  The export of fresh apples to Taiwan according to the cold treatment 
schedule shall not resume until the SFN has investigated and 
determined the cause for the presence of liv e Mediterranean fr uit fly, 
has adopted effective remedial measures, and has obtained approval 
from BAPHIQ.  
10.7 If any liv e codling moth is found during import inspection, the following 
measures will be applied:  
10.7.1  The lot of apples will be rejected  or destroyed.  
10.7.2  BAPHIQ will notify the SFN, and provide the copy of the 
phytosanitary certificate, the picture of codling moth and the 
information of the packing box.  
10.7.3  The sourcing orchard and the packinghouse will be withdrawn for 
export to Taiwan for the remainder of the  export season. Any 
shipment from the sourcing packinghouse will remain eligible for 
export to Taiwan if the following conditions are met:  
10.7.3.1  Inspection date is prior to the suspension date.  
10.7.3.2  The lot of apples was loaded on board traveling to Taiwan 
within 3 d ays from the notification date.  
10.7.4  Additionally, the sampling level at packinghouse will be increased as 
follows:  
10.7.4.1  First sampling - before the packing process: 800 apples will be 
selected for inspection.  
10.7.4.2  At least 100 apples will be cut for inspection in the first 
sampling before the packing process.  
10.8 If a second detection occurs, the following measures will be applied:  
10.8.1   The lot of apples will be rejected or destroyed.  
10.8.2   BAPHIQ will notify the SFN, and provide a copy of  the phytosanitary 
certificate, the picture of codling moth and the information of the 
packing box.  
10.8.3   In addition to provisions  10.7.3  and 10.7.4 , the sampling level at the 
SFN inspection will be increased as follows:  
10.8.3.1  Inspection level  will be 3% during the export season . 
10.8.3.2  For each sampled box, four apples will be cut for inspection . 9 
 10.9 If a third detection occurs, emergency actions will be applied  according 
article 11 . 
10.10  If any other plant pest of quarantine significan tly occurs in Italy, and it 
poses risks to the production safety of Taiwan’s agricu lture, the importation 
could be suspended by BAPHIQ at any time.  
11. SYSTEM SUSPENSION AND REINSTATEMENT IN CASE OF 
CODLING MOTH DETECTION  
11.1 If a third detection of liv e codling moth  occurs within the same export season, 
BAPHIQ will immediately notify the SFN of the complete suspension of the 
export of apples to Taiwan . 
11.2 Consequently,  the SFN shall immediately suspend all apple export activities to 
Taiwan after being notified . Shipments of apples packaged by other 
packinghouses where no liv e codling moths have been detected will face 
stricter inspection but remain eligible for export to Taiwan if the following 
conditions are met : 
11.2.1  Inspection date  is prior to the suspension date.  
11.2.2  The lot of apples is loaded on board traveling to Taiwan within 14 
days from the inspection date.  
11.3 The SFN shall conduct investigations, prepare relevant reports and establish 
improvement measures regarding this matter , and provide the reports and 
improveme nt measures to BAPHIQ for review.  
11.4 After the SFN sends the report to Taiwan, BAPHIQ will review the measures 
established for the export of apples and send inspector(s) to conduct an on -site 
verification of the apple export process. The cost associated with this activity 
will be borne by Italy.  
11.5 The suspe nsion of apple  export may be revoked only after BAPHIQ  finalize s 
the review of the investigation report and on -site verification of the 
improvement measures of the system  is confirmed.  
12. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS  
12.1 Two months prior to the apple export season every year, the SFN shall 
officially invite BAPHIQ to dispatch inspector(s) to Italy to perform the 
on-site inspection and verification of the operation of the system of apple 
export to Taiwan jointly with the SFN along with the formal official 
invitation, the l ist of registered packinghouses shall be provided.  
12.2 After the first two years of the commencement of trade of fresh apples from 
Italy to Taiwan , the SFN may undertake the inspection on behalf of 
BAPHIQ based on agreed criteria as follows : 10 
 12.2.1  All packinghouses for this coming export season were previously 
audited by BAPHIQ.  
12.2.2  There are no detection records of live codling moth during  export 
inspection  or import inspection in the previous export season.  
12.2.3  On-site audit  is conducted by BAPHIQ in the previous  year.  
12.3 If the SFN undertakes the on -site audit on behalf of BAPHIQ, it shall 
provide the report to BAPHIQ within one month after the inspection.  
12.4 All expenses related to inspection and verification shall be borne by Italy.  
 
Annex: Benchmarks of cold treatment for Mediterranean fruit fly  
 
°F °C Minimum period (days)  
32 or below  0 or below  12 
35 or below  1.7 or below  14 
38 or below  3.3 or below  18