PW-ACTUA French GNIS gives an explanation about the use of import duties At the end of 2004, the Dutch Potato Organisation (NAO) submitted a complaint to the European Commission for violation of the Community law by France. The reason for the complaint was that the French organisation Groupement National Interprofessional de Semences et Plants (GNIS) was imposing an extra levy on certified seed potatoes that are imported into France. At the end of last year, this procedure led to a reduction in the levy from 13.5 euros per ton in 2004 to 5.65 euros per ton today. To tell the Dutch potato merchants how this money is used, the NAO recently invited GNIS Chairman Jean-Charles Quillet and General Secretary of the Seed Potato Division, Catherine Dagorn, to come over and give a full account of events. During a regional meeting of the NAO Seed Potato Committee in Emmeloord, in fluent English, Catherine Dagorn told the Committee what the GNIS stands for. Compared to the Netherlands, the GNIS is a kind of combination of NAO, NAK, PCC and the Marketing Board in the areas of cultivation, trade and users of planting material, among which also seed potatoes, she told the Committee. The aim of the GNIS is to guarantee the quality of the planting material. Moreover, the organisation wants to be a platform between the professionals and the authorities. Another aim is to engage in activities in the seed potato sector to improve production and to increase expansion, said Dagorn. The Secretary concluded by telling the Committee that GNIS is collecting miscellaneous statistical data about the planting material. One section of GNIS is the official certification authority SOC (Service Officiel de Contrôle et de Certification), which carries out the inspection. Inspect all imported planting material GNIS is funded through levies from parties in the sector. The amounts to be levied are determined by the GNIS Board, in which people from the industry are represented. The height of the levies is redetermined every three years. The most recent levy was determined late last year. For seed potatoes produced and marketed in France, the levy is currently 11.29 euros per ton. For this amount, the potatoes are certified and inspected. Potatoes that have been grown in other countries within the EU and are marketed in France have a levy imposed of 5.65 euros per ton. French companies that export seed potatoes to third countries pay 8.50 euros per ton. The reason for this lower rate is that this group does not use all the GNIS facilities. In the discussion on lower rates, Chairman Jean-Charles Quillet emphasised that he would do his utmost to even up the levy with the domestic rates. However, this adjustment will only take place in 2012 at the earliest. Dagorn emphasised that the GNIS not only checks Dutch Jean-Charles Quillet and Catherine Dagorn of GNIS explain that it is partly thanks to the contribution of the Dutch exporters to GNIS that the percentage of illegal second growth is so low in France. seed potatoes, but all the planting material from all countries outside France. ‘We want to make sure that this is done well and meets our own standards.’ Importance of certified seed The response of the Dutch traders present at the meeting was that it has been agreed within the EU that when a lot of seed potatoes has been granted a plant passport (NAK label) somewhere, free movement of planting material can take place within the EU. The French apparently see things differently. According to Quillet, it is an important task of the GNIS to tell the French growers about the importance of using certified seed. He produces figures that show that over 80 percent of the planting material is, indeed, certified. ‘France has the lowest percentage of illegal second growth in Europe. It is partly due to the contribution of the Dutch exporters to the GNIS that this figure is so positive’, confirmed Quillet. Continue fighting levy NAO Chairman Kees van Arendonk thanked Ms Dagorn and Mr Quillet for their explanations. But he let it be known that the Dutch trade organisation will continue fighting this extra levy when Dutch money is used to exclusively serve French interests. ● 8 Potato World 2010 • number 3 Pagina 7
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