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E-commerce

This package of seeds, sent to a U.S. resident, was tested by the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to determine if they carry any pests or diseases of concern to U.S. agriculture. Unsolicited seeds, labeled as a variety of things such as beads and jewelry, have been arriving in mailboxes around the nation, prompting investigation by USDA.

Key Facts

161 billion parcels, or 5102 parcels per second, were shipped in 2022 (Pitney Bowes, 2023).
The huge growth in parcel volume puts pressure on the normal components of phytosanitary export and import systems.
Intercepting parcels that contain goods that do not meet the phytosanitary import requirements of the destination county is one of the biggest challenges facing NPPOs.
Managing e-commerce and the postal and courier pathways is a key priority within the IPPC strategic framework.

The global rise of e-commerce has brought about a transformative shift in the way goods are bought and sold and moved in international trade.

While presenting economic opportunities, the growth in e-commerce also poses significant challenges to national plant protection organizations (NPPOs) because of the potential spread of plant pests through parcels moving on postal and courier pathways.

On this page you will find key resources about e-commerce and plant health, including a video highlighting the role of all e-commerce stakeholders in addressing pest risks, the IPPC guide on e-commerce, news stories featuring country case studies and links to other national and international e-commerce resources.

Videos

Managing e-commerce pest risk

En Ar Es Fr Ru Zh

Plant health and e-commerce

IPPC Guides

25 June 2015, Cordonsillo de Volcan de Buenos Aires de Puntarenas (177 km southeast of San Jose), Costa Rica - A farmer collects chilli in a vivarium as part of the implementation of a systems approach to export to the United States sweet chili program.

E-commerce: A guide to managing the pest risk posed by goods ordered online and distributed through postal and courier pathways.

26 June 2015, Volcan of Buenos Aires of Puntarenas (184 km southeast of the capital), Costa Rica - The technician Rodrigo Mata SFE oversees export chilies agreement by applying a systems approach to export to the United States sweet chili (Chillies).

Export Certification: A guide to export certification for national plant protection organizations.

29 May 2015, Dakar, Senegal - A phytosanitary head technician of the Phytosanitary verification unit at the international airport in Dakar inspecting melons using a magnifier in a cold room storage. Strict phytosanitary checks are run on every good of vegetal nature and as well on fruit and wood entering the country to avoid risk of altering the endemic flora and fauna species. Conformity checks are run instead on all the goods that are exported or re-exported to make sure they comply with the quality requirements and the phytosanitary standards of the country where the goods are exported. Foundation Origin Senegal (FOS) supervise the quality checks in the country from the very point of collection, on the different orchards and vegetable gardens of the country, until the very last moment before boarding cargos for the four corners of the world.

Import Verification: A guide to import verification for national plant protection organizations.

News

Scientist checking for bugs in mail.

Thu, 14 Mar 2024

Revamped IPPC webpage to serve as hub for resources on e-commerce and plant health

Scientist checking for bugs in mail.

Thu, 30 Nov 2023

New IPPC guide to protect plant health and reduce pest risk associated with e-commerce

Agricultural items, such as plants, insects, soil or seeds, purchased online can pose a significant risk to a country’s local plants and animals, hurting biodiversity. Check to make sure that any of these items you buy has a phytosanitary certificate.

Fri, 12 May 2023

Think before you click - Mitigating the risks of e-commerce to plant health

Mon, 24 Feb 2020

Engagement of the IPPC Secretariat in the World Customs Organization’s Work e-Commerce Standards

Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals

SGD 9 - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

SGD 12 - Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

SGD 15 - Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Related ISPMs

See Also