Procedures ensuring fulfilment of criteria for professional operators
Article 2
1. The competent authority shall ensure that professional operators have access to a technical guidance on the criteria to be fulfilled in the examinations relating to the issuance of plant passports. Such technical guidance shall be accessible through the official website of each competent authority and contain all of the following elements: (a) information about the biology of pests and the respective vectors, and about the relevant aspects of the biology of the hosts concerned; (b) information about the signs of the presence of those pests and the symptoms of infestation of the plants, plant products or other objects by the respective pests, the modalities for the performance of visual inspections, as well as sampling and testing; (c) information about best practices, measures and other actions to be taken to prevent the presence and spread of the pests referred to in point (a) of Article 1; (d) information on the establishment and content of the plan referred to in point (c) of Article 1. 2. The competent authorities shall take all the appropriate measures to verify that the professional operators comply with all the criteria set out in paragraph 1.