b'Feedback after audit, 2024 (%)100.00% 94.20%90.00%80.00%Excelent55.80% 70.00%Very good38.40% 60.00% 55.80%Satisfactory5.80% 50.00% 38.40%40.00%Excellent and Very good 94.20% 30.00%20.00%10.00% 5.80%0.00%Excelent Very good Satisfactory Excellent andVery good2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025Auditors at ISTA Secretariat 2 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 3Contracted SA & TA 3 3 3 2 3 3 2 2 2 1Contracted SA 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6Contracted TA 11 14 15 15 14 14 14 12 11 11GMO, VarietyExpert 1 1 1 1 2 3 3SH, Variety Experts 1 1 1 1 1GMO Expert1 1 1SamplingTA 2Auditors evolution, 2016-202516 15 1514 14 14 14141212 11 11 1110866 5 54 44 3 33 33 3 3 33 33 3 3 3 3 3 32 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 1 1 1 11 11 11 11 1 1102016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025Auditors at ISTA Secretariat Contracted SA & TA Contracted SA Contracted TAGMO, VarietyExpert SH, Variety Experts GMO Expert SamplingTAACCREDITATIONyear Accredited laboratoriesaudits /yearAccredited laboratories and audits 2015 137 462016 134 52 2016-20242017 137 46 Feedback From LaboratoriesThe process was finalised for 61 audits out of180 1632018 138 48 62 performed in 2024; 52 laboratories provided160 142 146 149 151 1512019 142 51 feedback (83.9%) and the results are indicated140 134 137 1382020 146 26 in Fig. 3. Twenty-nine laboratories considered1202021 149 71 the audit as excellent (55.8%), 20 very good100(38.4%) and three laboratories rated the audit 2022 151 58 as satisfactory (5.8%). The established key80 71 58 622023 151 46 performance indicator (KPI) (90% excellent60 52 46 48 51 462024 163 62 or very good and 0% unsatisfactory) was40 26achieved, as the sum of excellent and very20good ratings of the overall impression from laboratories is 94.2%. No audit was rated as0unsatisfactory. 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024The support of the auditors and auditAccredited laboratories audits /yearadministrators from the ISTA Secretariat, as well as our fellow contracted auditors, is to beFigure 2. Evolution of ISTA accredited laboratories and audits from 2015 to 2024commended. Their professional approach andFeedback after audit, 2024 (%)high technical competence are also confirmed by the above feedback. 100.00% 94.20%Changes and Challenges 90.00%Update on Non-Substantial Non- 80.00%Excelent55.80% 70.00%Conformities Policy The ECOMAWG have approved the decision55.80%Very good38.40% 60.00%that ISTA (re-)accreditation will be granted only Satisfactory5.80% 50.00%if all substantial (S) non-conformities identified40.00% 38.40%during an ISTA audit are addressed no later Excellent and Very good 94.20% 30.00%than 6 months after the audit date, and all non-substantial (NS) non-conformities are addressed20.00%no later than 9 months after the audit date. It has10.00% 5.80%also been agreed that for NS non-conformities, if more than 9 months are needed to complete0.00%the necessary work, then clear evidence that theExcelent Very good Satisfactory Excellent andplanned corrective actions have started to beVery goodimplemented must be provided. The decision has been incorporated into the audit processFigure 3. Feedback received from audits performed in 2024by the auditors and all laboratories audited in 2024. There were some questions for process clarifications, but these had no negative impactTraining and EducationAn important contribution of the department to on the process.Online auditor training will be organised inISTAs training and education programme was the latter part of 2025 as a follow-up action ina Quality Assurance Workshop for Beginners, Revision of ISTA Crop Groups response to the implementation of changes in theorganised online in December 2024. In addition A revision of the ISTA crop groups table wasAccreditation Standard, the Directive Acc-D-06B,to this, three workshops on Quality Assurance approved by the ECOM in June 2024. From the International Rules for Seed Testing (ISTAfor Advanced Level were performed in 1 January 2025, two genera, Leucaena andRules) 2026 Edition, and the ISTA List of StabilisedOudtshoorn, South Africa, and two in Bucharest, 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025Grevillea have been included in crop group 7 (treePlant Names, 8th Edition. Romania, in collaboration with the Bulking and Auditors at ISTA Secretariat 2 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 3and shrub species). They will also remain in theirSampling Committee. All four workshops were current crop groups, Leucaena in crop group 3As an outcome of the auditor workshop organised3 3 3 2 3 3 2 2 2 1Contracted SA & TA very well received by the participants.(small legumes) and Grevillea in crop group 8in Pozna , Poland in December 2023, a Risk Contracted SA 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6(flower species). The change was proposed by theand Opportunity Assessment Guideline wasIn the same area of quality assurance, four Contracted TA 11 14 15 15 14 14 14 12 11 11ECOMAWG as a response to the ISTA accrediteddeveloped, through the combined efforts of thewebinars were organised in 2024 and two more auditor team. The Guideline was approved during1laboratories from Brazil.GMO, VarietyExpert webinars have already taken place in 2025. For all1 1 1 2 3 3SH, Variety Experts webinars we had a high number of participants.1 1 1 1 1the 2024 ISTA Annual Meeting in Cambridge and Revision of ISTA Accreditationis now posted on the ISTA website (go to www.Standard GMO Expertseedtest.org/en/services-header/documents/ 1 1 1SamplingTA accreditation-documents.html) together with. 2The revised version of the ISTA Accreditation Standard (8.0) was approved by the ECOM atother accreditation documents.their February meeting. In the same meeting,.the Directive Acc-D-06B for AccreditationAnother guideline for the calibration of of Laboratories and Sampling Entities withAuditors evolution,16-202520laboratory equipment is in progress, and we Sampling Units at Multiple Sites, was alsohope it will be available before the end of 2025, 16 15 15approved. Both are posted on the ISTA websitethanks to great support from Steve Jones, Joel 14 14 14 14(see www.seedtest.org/en/services-header/ Lchapp, Harry Nijenstein and Stphan Brire. 14documents/accreditation-documents.html) andThe guideline will also be available on the ISTA will come into force on 1 January 2026.website. 1212 11 11 1166 10 SEED TESTING INTERNATIONAL www.seedtest.org866 5 54 44 3 33 33 3 3 33 33 3 3 3 3 3 32 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 1 1 1 11 11 11 11 1 1102016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025Auditors at ISTA Secretariat Contracted SA & TA Contracted SA Contracted TAGMO, VarietyExpert SH, Variety Experts GMO Expert SamplingTAyear Accredited laboratoriesaudits /yearAccredited laboratories and audits 2015 137 462016 134 52 2016-20242017 137 46 180 1632018 138 48 160 142 146 149 151 1512019 142 51 140 134 137 1382020 146 26 1202021 149 71 1002022 151 58 80 71 58 622023 151 46 60 52 46 48 51 462024 163 62 40 262002016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024Accredited laboratories audits /year'