What is a plant passport label?
If you grow or sell plants in the UK, plant passport labels aren’t optional, they’re a legal requirement.
You may be familiar with the old EU plant passport system, but post-Brexit, new rules are in place for anyone wanting to move plants and other products around the UK.
UK growers must now issue a UK Plant Passport for their products – an official document you need if you want to move plants and certain regulated wood within Great Britain, to the Isle of Man or to the Channel Islands, including:
- All plants for planting
- Some seeds
- Seed potatoes
- Wood and wood products
- Isolated bark
According to DEFRA, the purpose of a plant passport is to “ensure that plants and plant products are traced throughout the supply chain and declare compliance with plant health requirements such as freedom from pests, which is essential for maintaining biosecurity”.
Plant Passports give full traceability if any pests or diseases are found in plants at any point of the supply chain, and are mandatory for professional operators selling, transporting or growing plants as listed above. They ensure compliance during inspections and audits and build customer confidence in plant health and quality.
What needs to be printed on a plant passport label?
There are several items of information that are required to be printed on a UK Plant Passport, and these differ slightly from the previous EU Plant Passport. Under current rules, you must now show the wording “UK Plant Passport” (no flag) and include the letters ‘A, B, C, D, E’, followed by the following information:
A – Botanical name – this is the two part ‘Latin’ name for the plant being moved showing its full genus and species name. For example, use Clematis montana for Mountain Clematis
B – Registration number – this is the registration number assigned to the professional operator.
C – Traceability code – this is a code that ensures the traceability of the plant or plant material, and can be an existing code used to trace or identify a consignment – for example, a serial number, week or batch code or an invoice number, tracing back to the unit where the plant passport was issued. It may also include an optional unique barcode, QR Code, hologram or chip, along with the traceability code.
D – Country or origin – this is where you need to include the country of origin of the consignment, using the 2-letter ISO code for the country or countries – for example, IT for Italy, NL for The Netherlands or GB for The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
E – Movement from Northern Ireland to Great Britain (if applicable). Plants originating from Northern Island may have an EU Plant Passport issued, and if you split the consignment, or simply choose to replace the EU Plant Passport for business purposes, you will need to show the code GB(NI) in part E.
What type of plant passports can I use?
Plant passports are commonly used in horticulture, and can be seen on many bedding plants, shrubs, perennials, trees and houseplants. They may be used on pots, trays, trolleys, on outer boxes and on individual plants.
Self-adhesive labels can be used on pots, trays and packaging.
Loop lock, or self-tie labels, can be used for trees, shrubs and larger plants.
Stick-in labels are commonly used for bedding and potted plants.
Choose tough and durable materials and print
It’s important that a plant passport remains intact and legible throughout the plant’s lifecycle, from the nursery of origin through to the final purchase. It’s therefore important that the type of label used is both tough and durable, and that the type of print being used is long-lasting too. Make sure you choose a material that resists exposure to sunlight, moisture (or direct rain if housed outdoors), and a wide range of temperatures, and is resistant to knocks and abrasion.
Thermal transfer printing or laser printing offers tough print that will last, ensuring that the legibility of your plant passport remains intact.
Choose Bluepoint for your plant passport labels
At Bluepoint, we supply a wide range of tough and durable tags and labels that are ideal for plant passports in a wide range of environments. These come either in sheet form for laser printing, or on rolls for thermal transfer printing.
Our core products include a wide range of tough and durable tags and labels, including:
- Self-tie or loop lock labels
- Stick in labels
- Swing tags
- Self-adhesive labels
Our labels come plain or pre-coloured for in-house printing using either a laser or thermal transfer printing (we also offer inkjet options), and we also offer a custom pre-printing service of you would like to showcase your brand in full colour.
We have a knowledgeable, friendly team on hand to advise you on the best labels and tags for your plant passport requirements. We’re confident that our labels are the best around, and as we manufacture all our labels at our UK-based factory in Totnes, Devon, we can offer some of the best prices around.
To get in touch, give us a call today on 01392 927030, or email us – sales@bluepointtags.co.uk.
