1. Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES) training on Import of Live Plants Mr. Manuel Fenech Senior Agricultural Officer, PHD Mr. Duncan Xuereb Senior Agricultural Officer, PHD  

2. TRACES: What is it? TRACES =Trade Control and Expert System
It is a web-based veterinarian certification tool used by the European Union for controlling the import and export of live animals and animal products within and without its borders.
It is also used now for import checks of products of non-animal origin and live plants.

3. TRACES: What is it?
Its network falls under the responsibility of the European Commission: Directorate General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE)
Workflow between private and public
Centralized system
Multilingualism (23 EU official languages)
Statistics automation

5. TRACES: Main characteristics
Policy Areas:
Products:
Animal Health
Semen, ova and embryos
Animal Welfare (EU exclusive)
Products of animal origin
Veterinary Public Health
Products of non-animal origin
Plant Health
Live plants

6. TRACES: Main characteristics
Functionalities; Certification (INTRA, IMPORT, CVED, CED, EXPORT, DOCOM, DECLAR, CHEDPP)
Notification= Exchange of information. Notification of the arrival of a consignment to the BIP.
Exchange of information between competent authorities of EU Member States
Threat to plant health: Link with Europhyt.
Control registration
Availability to EU Member states and to Non-EU countries (Voluntary)

8. TRACES: Some history… Sanitary crisis ; Classical Swine Fever 1997
Main objective
To improve traceability
Started on 1st April 2004 (pilot phase)
A few countries joined TRACES at this phase.
Since 1/01/2005 mandatory for all BIPs and LVUs (animals and products of animal origin)
Since 2011, it can be used for products of non animal origin
Since 2013, it can be used for live plants

9. TRACES: Legal basis
Commission Decision 2003/24/EC: development of an integrated computerised veterinary system
Commission Decision 2003/623/EC: development of an integrated computerised veterinary system known as TRACES
Commission Decision 2004/292/EC: introduction of the TRACES system and amendment of Decision 92/486/EEC

10. Decision 2004/292/EC (1st April 2004)
CVED for animals entering a EU MS and going to another MS. CVED for ALL animals entering the European Community
In accordance with Decision 2005/123/EC: (30 June 2005)
CVED for all rejected consignments
CVED for products subject to the following specific procedures under Directive 97/78/EC:

11. TRACES: Pilot project for Plant Health
Starting point: COPH’s meeting in Warsaw 7/10/2011
Object: Border control of the introduction of plants and reproductive material
MS: AT, BG, BE, DE, EL, ES, FI, FR, HU, LT, LV, MT, NL, PL, RO, SE, UK and HR
First CHED-PP: Latvia May 2013; Poland June 2013; Lithuania August 2013; France September 2013, Malta February 2014, Spain April 2014 and Estonia June 2014, Switzerland December 2014
CHEDPP Definition: panel working group 13/01/2012
TRACES module: Version 6 April 2013

12. CHED-PP implementation

13. TRACES: Advantages Standard application of laws and procedures
Speed up of BIP administrative procedures
Cooperation between services
Increase in security and speed of data transmission
Work simplification of official services

14. TRACES: Benefits for the sector
Improvement of the traceability of animals, products and plants movements for a better management of outbreaks
Improvement of information for more targeted controls
Deletion of language discrepancies
Interoperability between different Directorates General
Traceability of the movements of goods from the exporting countries until the final destination

15. TRACES: Benefits for national MS administrations
Access to all the information
Assistance during the decision making process
More statistics (DWH)
Interoperability between different services
Improvement of security within the transmission of data
Money saving through centralized updating of all legal information and dispatch of the certificate in all EU official languages

16. TRACES: Advantages