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Certification Programs

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Compliance-Based Certification Program for HighQuality Specialty Grain

APHIS will approve qualified grain facilities to conduct phytosanitary inspection of

high-quality specialty grain (HQSG) (i.e., grain exceeding the USDA number 1

grade). Participating grain facilities and exporters must be exempt from official

inspection and weighing requirements of the Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS),

AMS, USDA. APHIS will use inspection results from grain facilities under APHIS

compliance for phytosanitary certification of containerized HQSG and associated

samples. Any facility participating in the Compliance-Based Certification Program

must have the HQSG exemption and be listed on the current Exemption and Waiver

Listing on the FGIS website.

To qualify, grain facilities must have implemented best manufacturing practices

consistent with those recommended by the Specialty Soya and Grain Alliance

(SSGA). Interested grain facilities must be recognized by SSGA for successful

completion of a facility review and meeting all applicable APHIS requirements. To

obtain further information and request application materials, contact the SSGA

Executive Director at ewenberg@soyagrainsalliance.org.

Once the application and review process are completed, SSGA recommends

applicants to APHIS. Qualified applicants will then sign an APHIS compliance
agreement detailing duties, responsibilities, applicable regulations, and action in

case of noncompliance.

Industry may use inspection reports from approved grain facilities when they apply

for high-quality specialty grain phytosanitary certification. It is the exporter’s

responsibility to obtain the USDA AMS Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) HQSG

exemption and meet all FGIS requirements for export.

For More Information

For more information about this program or questions about the List of USDA APHIS

Approved HQSG Facilities Under Compliance, contact your local APHIS PPQ Export

Certification Specialist.

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U.S.-Canada Greenhouse-Grown Plant

Certification Program

Export of greenhouse-grown plants to Canada is simplified by the revised U.S.-

Canada Greenhouse Certification Program (GCP). A cooperative greenhouse

certification program has been in place between the United States (as the USCGP)

and Canada (as the CGCP) since 1996. The program facilitates the trade of

greenhouse-grown plants between the United States and Canada by allowing

authorized facilities to use an Export Certification Label (ECL, also called a “GCP

Sticker”) in lieu of a phytosanitary certificate. To improve the consistency and

effectiveness of the program (previously called the USGCP), APHIS Plant Protection

and Quarantine (PPQ) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) have revised

the program requirements. This revised program will replace the previous

agreement (USGCP) over a 2-year transition. The GCP also joins the Canadian

Greenhouse-Grown Certification Program (CGCP) and the USGCP into one program.

The Technical Requirements document outlines the responsibilities of the

participating facilities and of APHIS and CFIA under the revised GCP.

Technical Requirements (314.48 KB), U.S.-Canada Greenhouse-Grown Plant

Certification Program
Background information on the greenhouse program, an overview of the revised

Technical Requirements, and a questions and answers document are provided below

to assist participants in meeting the requirements.

Background: U.S.-Canadian Greenhouse-Grown Plant Certification Program

Overview and Highlights of the Revised Technical Requirements

Questions and Answers

The comments and concerns identified by stakeholders during the 2014 consultation

period were taken into account during the revisions.

To facilitate an orderly transition to the revised program, APHIS, CFIA, and their

cooperators are providing training and assistance to participants. Authorized

Facilities in the United States can continue to use their existing USGCP export

certification labels to ship to Canada through the transition period. At the end of the

transition period, USDA and APHIS will collect the export certification labels and

interfacility stamps of any facilities that have not completed the transition to the

GCP.

USDA Approved Facilities Authorized to Participate in GCP (GCP, Revised 2016)

CFIA Approved Facilities Authorized to Participate in GCP (GCP, Revised 2016)

For More Information

For more information, or if you have questions about the GCP, please send inquiries

to ppqexportservices@usda.gov.

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U.S. Nursery Certification Program (USNCP) Pilot

The USNCP is a pilot phytosanitary certification program for United States nurseries

that ship nursery stock to Canada. The USNCP uses a Phytosanitary Management

System (PSMS) to minimize pest risks so that plants consistently meet Canadian

import requirements. The program offers an alternative to traditional phytosanitary

certification for shipments to Canada.

USNCP Certification Standards (574.76 KB)
For More Information

For more information, or if you have questions about the USNCP, please send

inquiries to ppqexportservices@usda.gov.

European Union (EU) Ash Systems Approach

Program

The EU Ash Systems Approach Program provides an alternative treatment to

required 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) bark and material beneath the bark that is

currently required for ash lumber shipments to the European Union. Companies are

able to enroll in an APHIS-approved certification program with the National

Hardwood Lumber Association. Member companies may then ship KD lumber with

limited amounts of bark present.  

View the Participant List for approved facilities.

Ralstonia Exclusion Program

USDA regulates Ralstonia solanacearum race 3 biovar 2 (Rs R3bv2), a select agent

pathogen that poses a severe threat to important U.S. agricultural commodities such

as tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants. Rs R3bv2 was listed as a select agent in the

USDA Agricultural Bioterrorism Protection Act of 2002. In 2005, APHIS amended the

regulations (70 FR 61351) to establish a certification program for articles of

Pelargonium spp. and Solanum spp. imported from countries where the bacterium

(Rs R3bv2) is known to occur. For Pelargonium spp. imports, the certification

program followed the Minimum Sanitation Protocol for Offshore Geranium Cutting

Production.

In 2024, APHIS is implementing an updated framework for all Rs R3bv2 host

commodities under the Ralstonia Exclusion Program (REP). The REP framework will

be a basis for bilateral operational work plans allowing imports of Rs R3bv2 host

plants under the REP from countries where the select agent is known to occur. The
framework closes known sanitation and testing gaps in earlier protocols and clarifies

roles and responsibilities of all program participants. It also provides updated

standard operating procedures to execute following an Rs R3bv2 detection. APHIS

plans to roll out the REP in June 2024. 

Learn More About the Ralstonia Exclusion Program