The Seed Potatoes Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016

PART 1 General

1.  On receipt of an application for certification of any seed potatoes, an authorised officer shall—

(a) allocate to the person making the application a producer’s identification number, (where one does not already exist for that person);

(b) carry out an official examination of the crop of seed potatoes to which the application relates to determine—

(i) in accordance with this Schedule, the category at which the seed potatoes are capable of being marketed;

(ii) in accordance with the relevant Table in Schedule 4, the Union grade at which the seed potatoes are capable of being marketed;

(c) where appropriate, determine the field generation of the seed potatoes; and

(d) subject to paragraphs 3 to 10, issue a growing crop report in accordance with paragraph 2.

2.  A growing crop report shall state—

(a) the name and address of the applicant;

(b) the producer’s identification number;

(c) the category and Union grade at which the authorised officer has determined the seed potatoes are capable of being marketed in accordance with paragraph 1(b);

(d) the field generation;

(e) the date on which the growing crop report was issued;

(f) the variety of the seed potatoes;

(g) the area of the seed potatoes; and

(h) the farm survey number and the number of the field in which the crop was grown.

3.  A growing crop report shall only be issued if an authorised officer is satisfied that—

(a) the seed potatoes are of a variety of potato species listed in the National List or the Common Catalogue;

(b) the seed potatoes in any one crop are of a single variety;

(c) the seed potatoes are taken from a crop which is free from the following diseases or pests—

(i) Wart Disease;

(ii) Potato Cyst Nematode;

(iii) Ring Rot;

(iv) Brown Rot;

(v) Potato Tuber Eelworm;

(vi) PSTVd;

(vii) Colorado Beetle; and

(viii) Dickeya.

(d) the land on which the seed potatoes are growing or were grown—

(i) is not land in respect of which a notice has been served under article 32(4) of the Plant Health Order with regard to Wart Disease, Ring Rot or Potato Cyst Nematode and not withdrawn;

(ii) is not land within a zone demarcated under article 38(7) of the Plant Health Order to prevent the spread of Brown Rot;

(e) blanking in any of the growing crop of the seed potatoes is not or was not excessive;

(f) the growing crop—

(i) in the case of pre-basic seed potatoes, has not been rogued prior to examination; or

(ii) in the case of basic seed potatoes, any roguing has been carried out effectively and the growing crop has not been over-rogued; and

(g) all reasonable husbandry practices for the prevention of the occurrence, development or spread of diseases and pests have been effectively carried out.