WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/782 
19 June 2007 
 
 (07-2603) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English/ 
                 French/                  Spanish 
 
    
ISPM 29:  RECOGNITION OF PEST-FREE AREAS AND 
AREAS OF LOW PEST PREVALENCE 
 
Submission by the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC)
 
  
 The following communication, received on 7 June 2007, is circulated at the request of IPPC. 
 
_______________ 
  G/SPS/GEN/782 
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© FAO 2007 
 
ISPM No. 29  
 
  
 
 
    
 
    
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS FOR 
PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES 
 
 
ISPM No. 29 
 
RECOGNITION OF PEST FREE AREAS AND AREAS OF LOW PEST PREVALENCE 
 
(2007)  
 
 
 
     
 
 
  
 
 
Produced by the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention 
    
 
    
 
 G/SPS/GEN/782 
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 CONTENTS 
  ENDORSEMENT  INTRODUCTION 
SCOPE 
REFERENCES DEFINITIONS OUTLINE OF REQUIREMENTS  BACKGROUND  
 
REQUIREMENTS 
1. General Considerations 
 
2. Related Principles 
2.1 Recognition of pest free areas and areas of low pest prevalence 
2.2 Sovereignty and cooperation 2.3 Non-discrimination  2.4 Avoidance of undue delay 2.5 Transparency 
2.6 Other relevant principles of the IPPC and its ISPMs 
 
3. Requirements for the Recognition of Pest Fr ee Areas and Areas of Low Pest Prevalence 
3.1 Responsibilities of contracting parties 
3.2 Documentation 
 
4. Procedure for the Recognition of Pest Free Areas and Areas of Low Pest Prevalence 
4.1 Request for recognition by the NPPO of the exporting contracting party 
4.2 Acknowledgement by the importing contracting pa rty of receipt of the information package 
and indication of its completeness for assessment purposes 
4.3 Description of assessment process to be used by the importing contracting party 
4.4 Assessment of the technical information 
4.5 Notification of results of assessment 4.6 Official recognition 4.7 Duration of recognition  5. Considerations on Pest Free Places of Production and Pest Free Production Sites 
 
APPENDIX 1 
Flow chart outlining the procedure for the recogn ition of pest free areas or areas of low pest 
prevalence (as per section 4)   G/SPS/GEN/782 
 Page 5 
 
 
 ENDORSEMENT 
 
 This standard was endorsed by the Commi ssion on Phytosanitary Measures in March 2007. 
  
INTRODUCTION 
 
SCOPE 
 
 This standard provides guidance and describes a procedure for the bilateral recognition of pest 
free areas and areas of low pest prevalence.  This st andard does not include sp ecified timelines for the 
recognition procedure.  This standard also provides some considerations regarding pest free places of 
production and pest free production sites.  
 
REFERENCES 
 Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures , 1994. World Trade 
Organization, Geneva. Determination of pest status in an area , 1998. ISPM No. 8, FAO Rome. 
Establishment of pest free areas for fruit flies (Tephritidae) , 2006. ISPM No. 26, FAO, Rome. 
Glossary of phytosanitary terms , 2007. ISPM No. 5, FAO, Rome. 
Guidelines for a phytosanitary import regulatory system , 2004. ISPM No. 20, FAO, Rome. 
Guidelines for pest eradication programmes , 1998. ISPM No. 9, FAO, Rome. 
Guidelines for phytosanitary certificates , 2001. ISPM No. 12, FAO, Rome. 
Guidelines for surveillance , 1997. ISPM No. 6, FAO, Rome. 
Guidelines for the determination and recognitio n of equivalence of phytosanitary measures , 2005. 
ISPM No. 24, FAO, Rome. Guidelines for the notification of n on-compliance and emergency action , 2001. ISPM No. 13, FAO, 
Rome. International Plant Protection Convention , 1997. FAO, Rome. 
Pest reporting , 2002. ISPM No. 17, FAO, Rome. 
Phytosanitary principles for the protection of plant s and the application of phytosanitary measures in 
international trade , 2006. ISPM No. 1, FAO, Rome. 
Requirements for the establishment of  areas of low pest prevalence , 2005. ISPM No. 22, FAO, Rome. 
Requirements for the establishment of pest free areas , 1996. ISPM No. 4, FAO, Rome. 
Requirements for the establishment of pest free places of production and pest free production sites , 
1999. ISPM No. 10, FAO, Rome. The use of integrated measures in a systems approach for pest risk management , 2002. ISPM No. 14, 
FAO, Rome.   DEFINITIONS 
 
 Definitions of phytosanitary terms used in th e present standard can be found in ISPM No. 5 
(Glossary of phytosanitary terms ). 
 
 
OUTLINE OF REQUIREMENTS 
 
 Recognition of pest free areas (PFAs) and areas of low pest prevalence (ALPPs) is a technical 
and administrative process to achieve acceptance of  the phytosanitary status of a delimited area. 
Technical requirements for establishment of PFAs a nd ALPPs, as well as certain elements relating to  G/SPS/GEN/782 
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 recognition, are addressed in other International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs).  In 
addition, many principles of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC, 1997) are relevant.   Contracting parties to the IPPC should pr oceed with a recognition process without undue 
delay.  The process should be applied without discrimination between contracting parties.  
Contracting parties should endeavour to maintain  transparency in all aspects of the recognition 
process. 
  The procedure described in this standard d eals with those cases where detailed information 
and verification may be required, such as in areas in which eradication or suppression of a pest has 
recently been achieved.  This pr ocedure includes the fo llowing steps for the contracting parties: 
request for recognition; acknowledgement of receipt of the request and the accompanying information 
package; description of the process; assessment of  the information provided; communication of the 
results of assessment; provision of official recognition.   However, where the ab sence of the pest in an 
area and the PFA status can easily be determined, the procedure for recognition described in this 
standard (in section 4) may not be required or very little supporting information may be necessary. 
 
 Both exporting and importing c ontracting parties have specific responsibilities relating to the 
recognition of PFAs and ALPPs.    The recognition process should be sufficiently documented by contracting parties.  
 Some considerations on pest free places of production and pest free sites of production are 
also provided.   
BACKGROUND 
 
 Exporting contracting parties may establish PFAs or ALPPs, among other reasons, in order to 
gain, maintain or improve market access. In any of these cases, where PFAs or ALPPs are established 
in accordance with the relevant ISPMs, recogn ition of such areas without undue delay is very 
important to exporting contracting parties.  
 Importing contracting parties, in meeting th eir appropriate level of protection and in 
accordance with requirements for technical justifi cation, may consider PFAs or ALPPs as effective 
phytosanitary measures.  Therefore, it may also be in the interests of the importing country to provide 
prompt recognition of such areas where they are est ablished in accordance with the relevant ISPMs. 
 
 For recognition of PFAs and ALPPs, the follo wing articles of the IPPC are relevant: 
 
"The responsibilities of an official nationa l plant protection organization shall 
include … the designation, maintenance and surveillance of pest free areas and areas 
of low pest prevalence” (Article IV.2e); 
"The contracting parties shall cooperate w ith one another to the fullest practicable 
extent in achieving the aims of this Convention …” (Article VIII). 
 
 Article 6 ( Adaptation to Regional Conditions, Including Pest- or Disease-Free Areas and 
Areas of Low Pest or Disease Prevalence ) of the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on the 
Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measu res addresses the issue of recognition of PFAs 
and ALPPs. 
   G/SPS/GEN/782 
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 REQUIREMENTS 
 
1. General Considerations 
 
 Several ISPMs address the establishment of PFAs and ALPPs, and related issues.  A range of 
ISPMs relate directly to the technical requirements for the establishment of PFAs and ALPPs, while many others contain provisions that may be applie d in the formal process for recognition of such 
areas. 
  ISPM No. 1 ( Phytosanitary principles for the protection of plants and the application of 
phytosanitary measures in international trade ) includes operational principles on recognition 
of PFAs and ALPPs (sections 2.3 and 2.14). 
  ISPM No. 4 ( Requirements for the establis hment of pest free areas ) points out that, since 
certain PFAs are likely to involve an ag reement between trading partners, their 
implementation would need to be reviewed and evaluated by the NPPO of the importing 
country (section 2.3.4). 
  ISPM No. 8 ( Determination of pest status in an area ) provides guidance on the use of the 
phrase "pest free area declared" in pest records (section 3.1.2). 
 
 ISPM No. 10 ( Requirements for the establishment of pest free places of production and pest 
free production sites)  describes the requirements for the establishment and use of pest free 
places of production and pest free production sites as risk management options for meeting phytosanitary requirements for the import of plants, plant products and other regulated 
articles. 
 
 ISPM No. 22 ( Requirements for the establishment of  areas of low pest prevalence ) describes 
the requirements and procedures for the establishm ent of ALPPs for regulated pests in an area 
and, to facilitate export, for pests regulated by  an importing country only.  This includes the 
identification, verification, maintenance and use of those ALPPs.  
 
 ISPM No. 26 ( Establishment of pest free areas for fruit flies (Tephritidae) ) describes the 
requirements for the establishment and maintenance of PFAs for the economically important species in the family Tephritidae. 
  Although the recognition of PFAs and ALPPs may generally be a bilateral process of 
information exchange between importing and expor ting contracting parties, recognition may take 
place without a detailed process if agreed betw een the parties (for example without bilateral 
negotiations and verification activities).   Usually, pest free places of production and p est free production sites should not require a 
recognition process and, therefore, only some cons ideration is given in this standard on use of 
procedures in particular cases. 
 
2. Related Principles 
 
2.1 Recognition of pest free areas and areas of low pest prevalence 
 
 ISPM No.1 ( Phytosanitary principles for the protection of plants and the application of 
phytosanitary measures in international trade ) states that “ contracting parties should ensure that 
their phytosanitary measures concerning consignments  moving into their territories take into account G/SPS/GEN/782 
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 the status of areas, as designated by the NPPOs of the exporting countries. These may be areas where 
a regulated pest does not occur or occurs with lo w prevalence or they may be pest free production 
sites or pest free places of production ”. 
 
2.2 Sovereignty and cooperation 
 
 Contracting parties have sove reign authority, in accordance wi th applicable international 
agreements, to prescribe and adopt phytosanitary me asures to protect plant health within their 
territories and to determine their appropriate level of  protection to plant health.  A contracting party 
has sovereign authority to regulate the entry of plants, plant products and other regulated articles 
(Article VII.1 of the IPPC).  Therefore a contracti ng party has the right to make decisions relating to 
recognition of PFAs and ALPPs. 
  However, countries also have other obliga tions and responsibilities, such as cooperation 
(Article VIII of the IPPC).  Therefore, in order to promote cooperation, an importing contracting party 
should consider requests for recognition of PFAs and ALPPs. 
 
2.3 Non-discrimination 
 
 In recognizing PFAs and ALPPs, the process used by the importing contracting party for assessing such requests from different exporting contracting parties should be applied in a 
non-discriminatory manner. 
 
2.4 Avoidance of undue delay 
 
 Contracting parties should endeavour to recognize PFAs and ALPPs, and to resolve any 
disagreements related to recogn ition, without undue delay.  
 
2.5 Transparency 
 
 Updates on progress between the importing a nd exporting contracting parties should be 
provided to the designated point of contact (furthe r described in section 3.1), as appropriate or on 
request, to ensure that the recognition process is  conducted in an open and transparent manner. 
  Any change in the status of the regulated p est in the area under consideration, or in the 
importing contracting party’s territory, relevant to  recognition shall be communicated appropriately 
and promptly as required by the IPPC (Article VIII.1a) and relevant ISPMs (e.g. ISPM No. 17: Pest 
reporting ). 
  To improve transparency, contracting parti es are encouraged to make available on the 
International Phytosanitary Portal decisions on PFAs and ALPPs that have been recognized (this 
information should be updated as appropriate).  
 
2.6 Other relevant principles of the IPPC and its ISPMs 
 
 In recognizing PFAs and ALPPs, contracting parties should take into account the following 
rights and obligations held by contractin g parties, and principles of the IPPC: 
 
 - minimal impact (Article VII.2g of the IPPC)  - modification (Article VII.2h of the IPPC)  - harmonization (Article X.4 of the IPPC)  - risk analysis (Articles II and VI.1b of the IPPC)  G/SPS/GEN/782 
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  - managed risk (Article VII.2a and 2g of the IPPC) 
 - cooperation (Article VIII of the IPPC)  - technical assistance (Article XX of IPPC)  - equivalence (section 1.10 of ISPM No. 1).  
3. Requirements for the Recognition of P est Free Areas and Areas of Low Pest 
Prevalence 
 
 NPPOs are responsible for designation, main tenance and surveillance of PFAs and ALPPs 
within their territories (Article IV.2e of the IPPC).   To establish PFAs or ALPPs and before asking for 
recognition, NPPOs should take into account the a ppropriate ISPMs that provide technical guidance, 
e.g. ISPM No. 4 ( Requirements for the establis hment of pest free areas ) for PFAs, ISPM No. 22 
(Requirements for the establishment of areas of low pest prevalence ) for ALPPs, and ISPM No. 8 
(Determination of pest status in an area ). 
  They may also consider other technical guida nce that may be developed on establishment of 
PFAs or ALPPs for specific regulated pests or groups of these pests. 
  The importing contracting party is responsible for determining the type of information that 
will be required, in order to recognize a PFA or  ALPP, depending on the type of area and its 
geography, the method used to establish the pest st atus of the area (pest free area or low pest 
prevalence area), the contracting party’s appropriate level of protection, and other factors for which 
technical justifications exist. 
  Where the pest is absent from an area and the PFA status can easily be determined (for 
example in areas where no records of the pest have b een made and, in addition, long term absence of 
the pest is known or absence is confirmed by surv eillance), the process for recognition described in 
this standard (in section 4) may not be requi red or very little supporting information may be 
necessary.  In such cases,  absence of the pest should be recognized according to the first paragraph of 
section 3.1.2 of ISPM No. 8 ( Determination of pest status in an area ) without the need for detailed 
information or elaborate procedures.   In other cases, such as in areas where a pest has recently been eradicated (ISPM No. 9:  
Guidelines for pest eradication programmes ) or suppressed, more detailed information and 
verification may be required, including items listed in section 4.1 of the present standard. 
 
3.1 Responsibilities of contracting parties 
 
 The exporting contracting pa rty is responsible for: 
  - requesting recognition of an established PFA or ALPP  - providing appropriate information on the PFA or ALPP  - designating a point of contact for the recognition process  - providing appropriate additional inform ation if necessary for the recognition process 
 - cooperating in the organization of on -site verification visits, if requested. 
  The importing contracting party is responsible for:   - acknowledging receipt of the request and the associated information 
 - describing the process to be used for the recognition process including, if possible, an 
estimated time frame for the evaluation 
 - designating a point of contact for the recognition process  - technically assessing the information G/SPS/GEN/782 
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  - communicating and justifying the need fo r on-site verifications  and cooperating in 
their organization 
 - communicating the results of the assessment to the exporting contracting party and:   • if the area is recognized, promptly modifying any phytosanitary regulations, 
as appropriate; 
  • if the area is not recognized, providi ng an explanation, including technical 
justification where applicable, to the exporting contracting party. 
 Importing contracting parties should limit any info rmation or data requests associated with an 
assessment of recognition to those which are necessary. 
 
3.2 Documentation 
 
 The whole process from initial request to final decision should be sufficiently documented by 
contracting parties so that the sources of informa tion and rationale used in reaching the decision can 
be clearly identified and demonstrated. 
 
4. Procedure for the Recognition of P est Free Areas and Areas of Low Pest 
Prevalence 
 
 The steps described below are recommended fo r importing contracting parties in order to 
recognize PFAs and ALPPs of exporting contracting parties.  However, in certain cases, as mentioned 
in the third paragraph of section 3, a process for recognition as described in this standard may not be 
required.   Normally, the exporting contracting party may wi sh to consult with the importing contracting 
party before submitting a request with the aim of facilitating the recognition process. 
 
 A flow chart outlining the following steps is provided in Appendix 1.  Recommended steps proceed as described from section 4.1 to section 4.6.  
4.1 Request for recognition by the NPPO  of the exporting contracting party 
 
The exporting contracting party subm its its request for recognition of a PFA or ALPP to an importing 
contracting party.  To support its request, the exporting contracting party provides a technical information package based on ISPM No. 4 ( Requirements for the establis hment of pest free areas ) or 
ISPM No. 22 ( Requirements for the establishment of  areas of low pest prevalence ) as appropriate.  
This information package should be sufficiently deta iled to demonstrate objectively that the areas are, 
and are likely to remain, PFAs or ALPPs, as appropr iate.  The package may include the following 
information:   - the type of recognition requested, i.e. either a PFA or an ALPP  - location and description of the area to  be recognized, with supporting maps, as 
appropriate 
 - pest(s) under consideration, and biology(ies) and known distribution relevant to the 
area (as described in ISPM No. 4 or ISPM No. 22 as appropriate) 
 - commodity(ies) or other regulated article(s) to be exported  - general information on hosts and thei r prevalence within the designated area 
 - phytosanitary measures and procedures a pplied for the establishment of the PFA or 
ALPP, and results of these measures 
 - phytosanitary measures and procedures a pplied to maintain the PFA or ALPP, and 
results of these measures 
 - relevant phytosanitary regula tions relating to the PFA or ALPP  G/SPS/GEN/782 
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  - record-keeping arrangements relating to th e area, in accordance with the appropriate 
standards 
 - relevant information directly related to the request for recognition on the structure of 
and resources available to the NPPO of the exporting country 
 - a description of corrective action plans, including related communication 
arrangements with the importing country concerned 
 - other relevant information (e.g. rec ognition of the area in question by other 
contracting parties, and possible systems approaches relating to ALPPs). 
 The exporting contracting party should designate a po int of contact for communication relating to the 
request for recognition. 
 
4.2 Acknowledgement by the importing contracting party of receipt of the 
information package and indication of its completeness for assessment purposes 
 
 The NPPO of the importing contracting party should promptly acknowledge receipt of the 
request for recognition and of the accompanying in formation package to the NPPO of the exporting 
contracting party.  The importing contracting party should designate a point of contact for 
communications relating to the request for recognition.   In commencing the assessment, the importing cont racting party should, if possible, identify 
and communicate to the NPPO of the exporting contr acting party if any significant component of the 
information package is missing, or if other si gnificant information may be needed to assess the 
request.   The NPPO of the exporting contracting party should submit to the NPPO of the importing 
contracting party any missing information, or may provide an explanation for its absence. 
 
 Where an exporting contracting party resubmits a request for recognition of a PFA or ALPP (e.g. if further data is acquired, or new or additional procedures are im plemented), the importing 
contracting party should take into consideration a ll information previously provided, if verification 
has been provided by the exporting contracting party that the information remains valid.  If 
resubmission is due to a previous non-acceptance of a request for recognition, any relevant details in 
the corresponding technical explanation related to the previous assessment should also be taken into 
consideration.  Likewise if a contracting party h as withdrawn a PFA or ALPP (e.g. maintenance of the 
PFA or ALPP became uneconomic) and wishes to reinstate it, previous information should be 
considered.  The assessment should be completed, w ithout undue delay, by focusing on the revised or 
supplemental information and/or data provided, if appropriate. 
 
4.3 Description of assessment process to be used by the importing contracting party 
 
 The importing contracting party should describe the process intended to be used in assessing 
the information package and in subsequently rec ognizing the PFA or ALPP, including any necessary 
legislative or administrative steps or requirements th at will need to be completed.  Furthermore, the 
importing contracting party is encouraged to est ablish if possible an anticipated timeframe for 
completion of the recognition process.  G/SPS/GEN/782 
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 4.4 Assessment of the technical information 
 
 Once all the information has been received, the NPPO of the importing contracting party 
should carry out assessment of the information package, taking into account:   - provisions of the relevant ISPMs that sp ecifically address either PFAs (ISPM No. 4: 
Requirements for the establishment of pest free areas ) or ALPPs (ISPM No. 22:  
Requirements for the establishment of  areas of low pest prevalence ), including the 
following information: 
  • systems used to establish the PFA or ALPP   • phytosanitary measures to maintain the PFA or ALPP 
  • checks to verify that the PFA or ALPP is being maintained 
 - other relevant ISPMs (in particular tho se described in section 1) depending on the 
type of recognition requested 
 - status of the pest in the territories of both contracting parties.  
 PFAs or ALPPs previously recognized by a thir d country or another contracting party may be 
considered as reference for the assessment process.   Clarification of the information provided may be required or additional information may be 
requested by the importing contracting party in order to complete the assessment.  The exporting 
contracting party should respond to technical concer ns raised by the importing contracting party by 
providing relevant information to f acilitate completion of the assessment. 
  On-site verification or on-site review of operational procedures may be requested, where 
justified, based on the results of the ongoing assessme nt, records of previous trade between the two 
parties (in particular if there is a lack of in formation, interception records, non-compliance with 
import requirements), or previous recognition of areas between the two parties or by other parties.  
The schedule, agenda and content of the on-site ve rification or review should be agreed bilaterally, 
and access provided as necessary.   The assessment should be completed without undue delay.  If at any stage progress is not proceeding in accordance with th e anticipated timeframe, if established, the exporting contracting 
party should be notified.  Upon request of the e xporting contracting party, reasons should be provided 
and (if appropriate) a new timeframe prepared and provided by the importing contracting party to the 
exporting contracting party.   The exporting contracting party may request cancellation or postponement of the assessment 
at any time.  Should the exporting contracting part y request postponement of the assessment, this may 
result in changes in the anticipated timeframe.  If th e pest status or phytosanitary regulations change 
in the importing country, recognition of the PFA or ALPP may no longer be required and the 
assessment process may stop.  
4.5 Notification of results of assessment 
 
 Upon completion of the assessment, the importing contracting party should reach a decision 
on the request and should notify the exporting contracti ng party of the results of its assessment; if the 
proposed PFA or ALPP will not be recognized, th e importing contracting party should provide an 
explanation, including technical justifica tion where applicable, for this decision. 
 
 In the event of a disagreement related to the re jection of a request for recognition of a PFA or 
ALPP, efforts should in the first instance be ma de bilaterally to resolve these disagreements. 
  G/SPS/GEN/782 
 Page 13 
 
 
 4.6 Official recognition 
 
 In accordance with Article VII.2b of the IPPC:  " Contracting parties shall, immediately upon 
their adoption, publish and transm it phytosanitary requirements, restri ctions and prohibitions to any 
contracting party or parties that they believe ma y be directly affected by such measures."   If the PFA 
or ALPP is recognized by the importing contracting pa rty, this should be officially communicated to 
the exporting contracting party, clearly confirmi ng the type of area recognized and identifying the 
relevant pest(s) for which such recognition a pplies.  Where appropriate, amendment of the 
phytosanitary import requirements and any associated  procedures of the importing contracting party 
should be made promptly.   
4.7 Duration of recognition 
 
 Recognition of a PFA or ALPP should remain in effect unless:   - there is a change in pest status in the area concerned and it is no longer a PFA or 
ALPP.  
 - there are significant instances of non-compliance (as described in section 4.1 of 
ISPM No. 13:   Guidelines for the notification of non-compliance and emergency 
action ) related to the areas in question or rela ted to the bilateral arrangement noted by 
the importing contracting party. 
 
5. Considerations on Pest Free Places of Production and Pest Free Production Sites 
 
 Usually pest free places of production and pest free production sites should not require 
recognition using the procedures described above (section 4).  In this regard ISPM No. 10 (Requirements for the establishment of pest free places of production and pest free production sites ) 
states that, for such places and sites, " the issuance of a phytosanitary ce rtificate for a consignment by 
the NPPO confirms that the requirements for a p est free place of production or a pest free production 
site have been fulfilled.  The importing country ma y require an appropriate additional declaration on 
the phytosanitary certificate to this effect" ” (section 3.2 of ISPM No. 10). 
  However, ISPM No. 10 (in section 3.3) also indicates:  " The NPPO of the exporting country 
should, on request, make available to the NPPO of the importing country the rationale for 
establishment and maintenance of pest free places of production or pest free production sites.  Where 
bilateral arrangements or agreements so provid e, the NPPO of the exporting country should 
expeditiously provide information concerning establis hment or withdrawal of pest free places of 
production or pest free production sites to  the NPPO of the importing country."  
 
 As described in ISPM No. 10:  " When complex measures are needed to establish and 
maintain a pest free place of production or pest  free production site, because the pest concerned 
requires a high degree of phytosanitary security , an operational plan may be needed.  Where 
appropriate, such a plan would be based on bilate ral agreements or arrangements listing specific 
details required in the operation of the system in cluding the role and responsibilities of the producer 
and trader(s) involved."  In such cases recognition may be based on the procedure recommended in 
section 4 of this standard or anot her bilaterally agreed procedure. 
  G/SPS/GEN/782 
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  APPENDIX 1 
FLOW CHART OUTLINING THE PROCEDUR E FOR THE RECOGNITION OF PEST 
FREE AREAS OR AREAS OF LOW PEST  PREVALENCE (AS PER SECTION 4)
1 
 
                                                      
1 This appendix is not an official part of the standard. It is provided for information only. Exporting contracting 
party NPPO submits 
recognition request 
Importing contracting party 
NPPO verifies the information 
received 
Importing contracting party 
NPPO communicates to 
exporting contracting party 
NPPO if any additional 
information needed 
Area is recognized 
Importing contracting party NPPO 
officially communicates 
recognition and amendment of 
phytosanitary import requirementsExporting contracting party 
NPPO submits missing 
information or may provide 
explanation for its absence to 
importing contracting party 
NPPO  Importing contracting party 
NPPO acknowledges receipt of 
the request and designates 
point of contact  
Area is not recognized 
Importing contracting party 
NPPO provides explanation 
with technical justification Importing contracting party 
NPPO describes assessment 
process to be used 
 Importing 
contracting party NPPO 
reaches decision and notifies the 
results of the technical 
assessment  Importing contracting party 
NPPO assesses the technical 
information Exporting contracting party 
NPPO provides any 
necessary clarifications, 
additions or modifications Importing contracting party 
NPPO carries out on-site 
verification or review if 
necessary 
Exporting 
contracting party NPPO 
may cancel request for 
recognition