Associated Article: A thing (such as a bamboo stake) accompanying a Certified Plant that may require a phytosanitary certificate for shipment.
Audit: An assessment of all or part of a nursery or plant production facility, which may include examination of documents, records, inspection of plant material and/or interviews with staff to ensure conformity with the SANC Program Standards and the Facility SANC Manual.
Best Management Practice (BMP): A BMP is a treatment, method, or technique (a mitigation measure) found to be an effective and practical means to address a critical control point or hazard while making the optimum use of resources. EXAMPLE: When plants are brought into a facility, they can introduce pests, so they could be considered a hazard. A critical control point would be where the plants are received. A best management practice to mitigate this risk would be to inspect the plants before putting them into the production yard or facility.
Certified Participant (SANC-Certified Participant): A plant production facility that is operating under a valid SANC Agreement with the State Certifying Authority of the exporting State to participate in the SANC Program.
Certified Plant (SANC-Certified Plant): A Plant that was produced under a valid SANC agreement that meets the requirements of the SANC Standard as well as the intended destination.
Compliance Agreement: A written and signed legal contract between the State Certifying Authority and the grower, processor, shipper, carrier, and/or facility confirming the methods, conditions and procedures that will be followed to meet plant quarantines, laws and regulations. A compliance agreement may contain general requirements for producing and handling regulated material as well as identify stipulations or measures to effectively address a specific state and/or federal quarantine or other specific certification standard of the destination.
Corrective Action Request: A form completed by the inspector when an area or condition of non-compliance has been found as a result of an audit.
Critical Control Point (CCP): A point, step or procedure in a system where specific BMPs can be applied and a nursery pest hazard can be prevented, eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels. EXAMPLE: When plants are brought into a nursery, they can introduce pests, so they could be considered a hazard. A critical control point would be where the plants are received. A best management practice to mitigate this risk would be to inspect the plants before putting them into the production yard or facility.
Document Control: A written plan included in the Facility SANC Manual for how required documentation, (for example: training logs, scouting reports, shipping and receiving records, etc.) will be stored, updated and maintained.
External Audit: An assessment conducted by regulatory officials to verify that a plant production operation is following the terms of its SANC Agreement and other agreed-upon documentation. This assessment could include a records check as well as a physical inspection of the facility.
Facility Manual (Facility SANC Manual): A Facility SANC Manual will describe the processes and procedures used by the production facility to meet the SANC State Level Model Standard. The Manual contains components including, but not limited to: the pest management plan, staff responsibilities, and training facility plan or map, internal auditing requirements and record keeping requirements. This Manual is mutually agreed upon by the facility operator and the State Certifying Authority.
Hazard: Any aspect of a plant production facility which has the potential to cause harm to the plant products through contamination or introduction of plant pests. Example: When plants are brought into a nursery, they can introduce pests, so they could be considered a hazard.
Inspector: The State Certifying Authority’s representative who locally carries out on-site nursery stock inspections and audits.
Internal Audit: An assessment conducted by the facility manager or designee to ensure that the operation is following the terms laid out in the Facility SANC Manual and other agreed-upon documentation.
National Plant Board: The National Plant Board is a non-profit organization of the plant pest regulatory agencies of each of the states, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and Guam.
Non-compliance: Any failure of the facility to follow the agreed upon elements in the Facility SANC Manual which are categorized by severity (minor, major and critical) in the SANC State Level Model Standard.
Pathway: Any means that allows the entry or spread of a pest.
Pest: Any species, strain, or biotype of plant, animal, or pathogenic agent injurious to plants and/or plant products.
Pest Management: Utilization of any procedure or combination of procedures to eradicate, suppress, or contain pest populations at a level to prevent damage to nursery stock.
Pest Management Plan (PMP): A written description of procedures or processes designed to control, suppress or eradicate pest populations and produce plants that meet the phytosanitary requirements of the SANC program. The PMP is a component of the Facility SANC Manual and addresses the CCPs identified in the risk assessments.
Phytosanitary Certificate: An official document, consistent with the internationally approved model certificate format, attesting that a consignment meets plant health import requirements.
Quarantine Pest: A pest of potential economic or environmental importance to a country, state or county and under official regulation by the plant protection organization of that region to prevent the pest’s introduction or spread within the area.
Record: Evidence or information constituting an account of something that has occurred. Records provide evidence that the requirements of the SANC program have been met and that plants shipped are in conformance with program requirements.
Risk: The likelihood of harm from the introduction or spread of a pest, disease or other contaminant into or within a plant production system, usually qualified by some statement of the severity of the harm.
Risk Assessment: A process of identifying risks or hazards, critical control points and best management practices to mitigate introduction and movement of pests at a facility.
Risk Assessment Tool: A computer based tool to assist growers in conducting a risk assessment at their facility. The tool identifies nine (9) areas that require a risk assessment. Each area has a separate section in this Risk Assessment Tool. Each section has a list of hazards and risks, and each facility must identify the critical control point and best management practice for the identified hazard/risk.
SANC Agreement: A legally binding agreement between the plant production facility and the State Certifying Authority identifying the specific requirements necessary for the individual facility to produce and ship nursery stock under the SANC Program.
SANC Certificate: An official document that can be replicated by a participating facility to accompany shipments of plant material produced under the SANC Program.
SANC Standard: The document describing the essential elements and responsibilities of the state certifying agencies and the plant production facilities to participate in the SANC Program in the United States.
Scouting: Ongoing documented inspections conducted by trained plant production facility personnel to detect and monitor pests, unusual damage or symptoms that may indicate the presence of a pest.
State Certifying Authority: A state regulatory agency with statutory authority to certify nursery stock for international, interstate or intrastate shipping.
State Plant Regulatory Official (SPRO): The State Certifying Authority’s National Plant Board representative who is responsible for overseeing the nursery stock certification and pest detection programs at the state level.
Surveillance Audit: A periodic assessment conducted by the State Certifying Authority to monitor the facility’s compliance with specific components of the Facility SANC Manual and other agreed-upon documentation.
Systems Approach: Refers to a method of inspection and certification that looks at the overall plant production process rather than only the plant itself. A systems approach integrates different risk management measures which act independently to cumulatively achieve the appropriate level of protection against pests.
Systems Approach to Nursery Certification (SANC): The Systems Approach to Nursery Certification is a process that incorporates audit-based, systems approach concepts into plant production and certification to reduce pest risk and distribution while facilitating and expediting the movement of nursery stock. SANC is a voluntary alternative to the traditional (inspection-based) method of certification within a state certification program. SANC was developed by the National Plant Board, USDA – APHIS, PPQ and Industry Partners.
Systems Audit: An assessment of the entire SANC Agreement at a facility to determine compliance with all components of the Facility SANC Manual and other agreed upon documentation.
Traceability: The ability to document the movement of incoming and outgoing plant material which may include the origin and shipping destinations.