Why is an ISTA certificate necessary?
Many seed importing countries require an International Seed Test Certificate issued by a laboratory that is accredited by the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA). Some countries such as Australia have strict requirements: i.e. “if an analysis certificate from an approved overseas laboratory does not accompany the seed lot, the consignment is sampled on arrival at the importing country which results in the lot being held in quarantine, sampled and retested. Then the lot is delayed until analysis results are available to make a decision to accept or not. If prohibited seeds or other problems are found in the consignment, the shipper/importer has to remove the contaminant, re-export the lot or destroy it.” An ISTA certificate from the originating country makes it possible to classify contaminants and to verify acceptability by the importer before the seed is shipped and can speed the process through customs and quarantine. Another situation is when a country such as Canada requi
