As far as I understand its mainly so they can trace plants back to original grower. Even down to the point if you are swapping plants with neighbours (technically your meant to do passport)
This could have been a fantastic opportunity to plant world but its basically a profit making scheme.
I have since left the Hort world, simply because I was fed up with the paper work. Constantly reading about new pest and disease coming in to the country on plants that are meant to be clean.
This is certainly going to put off a lot of small, growers who grow orchids or any form of plants. As if they get picked for inspection it will cripple them. I have a good friend who is selling to top up his income doing everything by the book, he was scheduled for an inspection but now he will have to have a fall Apha inspection which he's got to pay for.
Like he said it will cost him more than want he makes in plant sales a month.
It's going to put a lot of people off selling which is what we need right now.
Sorry for the rant.