The Marketing of Fruit Plant and Propagating Material Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2017

Interpretation

1.  In this Schedule—

“appropriate protocol” means—

(a)

a protocol published by the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation (EPPO)(1) in relation to the particular activity (such as, but not limited to, sampling and testing or multiplication, renewal and propagation of mother plants) and the particular genus or species concerned;

(b)

where no such protocol mentioned at (a) exists, a protocol in relation to the same matters which has international recognition; or

(c)

where neither protocol mentioned at (a) or (b) exists, a protocol established by the Department in relation to the same matters;

“candidate pre-basic mother plant” means a mother plant which the supplier intends to have accepted as a pre-basic mother plant;

“multiplication” means vegetative production of a mother plant in order to obtain a sufficient number of mother plants in the same category;

“official inspection” means a visual inspection, and, where appropriate, sampling and testing carried out by an inspector in accordance with paragraph 2;

“pest” means any species, strain or biotype of plant, animal or pathogenic agent injurious to plants or plant products and listed in Annexes I, II and III of Directive 2014/98/EU;

“renewal of a mother plant” means replacing a mother plant by a plant vegetatively produced from it;

“sampling and testing” means—

(a)

sampling and testing by an inspector and, where appropriate, the supplier in accordance with the appropriate protocol through submissions of samples to laboratories officially accepted by the Department for the purpose of such sampling and testing; and

(b)

in relation to viruses, viroids, virus-like diseases and phytoplasms, testing by the method of biological indexing on indicator plants or such other testing method as the Department considers on the basis of peer reviewed scientific evidence, produces results as reliable as biological indexing on indicator plants.

(1)

EPPO is an intergovernmental organisation responsible for co-operation and harmonization in plant protection within the European and Mediterranean region. Information may be obtained at the official website www.eppo.int.