Date issued 5 November 2003
On behalf of the Australian industry, AQIS requested the Taiwan Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHIQ) to postpone the deadline for introduction of electronically generated EXDOC certification. At the Bilateral Technical Discussions held in Taiwan on 8 October 2003, BAPHIQ agreed to extend the deadline to 30 June 2004. BAPHIQ has indicated that this would be the final extension and that from 1 July 2004 all certification must be strictly electronic except in emergency circumstances.
Background:
- Earlier this year BAPHIQ advised AQIS that it would only accept electronic (EXDOC) certification in future, and proposed a deadline of 30 April 2003 for the switchover.
- AQIS consulted with the Australian export industries through IAN 2003/01 on Taiwan’s intention and as a result of industry feedback AQIS sought an extension. BAPHIQ agreed to the request and extended the deadline to 31 December 2003 as advised in IAN 2003/05.
- AQIS, while checking the progress of EXDOC uptake in September 2003 through key industry associations, was advised that the industry required more time to prepare the switch over to a full electronic system of certification for Taiwan.
- AQIS has advised BAPHIQ that manual certification would only be used under a contingency situation such as power outages and that AQIS would advise BAPHIQ when such circumstances arose.
Options for the industry in meeting this deadline
The Plant Programs has identified the following options for the industry to meet Taiwan’s new deadline for replacing manual certification with electronic EXDOC certification by 30 June 2004:
- All exporters must register with EXDOC, as all exporters who require their name to be printed on the electronic export documentation must be registered with the EXDOC Administrator (Grain/Horticulture).
- Once registered with EXDOC those exporters who are not EXDOC Users already or do not have access to operate in the EXDOC environment will have three options as follows:
-to register with EXDOC or to become an EDI User, horticulture and grain clients should contact the EXDOC Administrator (Grain/Horticulture) on telephone: 02 6272 5728 or e-mail Bev Beacham.
1) To progress the EDI USER Registration by signing up with a software supplier to have access to EXDOC enabling the exporter to operate in an EXDOC test environment initially and then migrate to the “production environment’ once testing has been successfully completed.
Exporters choosing this option must become fully accredited EDI Users by June 2004.
2) To employ the services of an agent who is already a registered and approved full EDI USER to lodge an RFP with EXDOC in order to prepare electronic certification on their behalf.
3) Create a Request for Permit (RFP) at a major AQIS office and produce electronic certification with each export (Additional costs are associated with this service).
This option is available for casual/non-commercial or infrequent exports.
Lois Ransom
Senior Manager, Plant Programs
Contact Officer: Bev Beacham
Telephone: 02 6272 5728
Facsimile: 02 6272 3745