COVID-19 Update

July 2020

TO: NSHS accredited entities

COVID-19 is affecting everyone’s professional and personal lives, and adjustments are needed in order to buffer the effects of this situation on the needs of the seed industry for continued operation. We are writing to let you know that we are aware of the many challenges you are facing in your business right now. Many of us are still working from home now, and this is a manageable situation for many aspects of NSHS administration, but certain activities involved in NSHS accreditation, particularly training and auditing, have been affected. NSHS has postponed audits for accreditations that are up for renewal in March-July, and those accreditations have been extended until October 31, unless other arrangements have been made. We will continue to re-evaluate the situation as that date nears. We also recognize that some planned internal training and audits have been postponed. For those of you up for renewal in 2020, we will work with you on a case-by-case basis to understand your situation and agree on arrangements for alternative plans for you to cover your training and internal audit requirements. Please contact me at munkvold@iastate.edu with those concerns. The bottom line is that we understand that flexibility is needed, and we are confident we can continue to facilitate your phytosanitary certification needs.