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

Health requirements: candidate pre-basic mother plants and pre-basic mother plants produced by renewal

9.—(1) A candidate pre-basic mother plant must be free from the pests listed in Annex I and Annex II to Directive 2014/98/EU, as regards the genus or species concerned.

(2) Pre-basic mother plants produced by renewal must be free from the pests listed in Annex I to Directive 2014/98/EU and the viruses and viroids, listed in Annex II to Directive 2014/98/EU, as regards the genus or species concerned.

(3) This is established—

(a) in the case of pests listed in Annex I to Directive 2014/98/EU, by visual inspection in the facilities and fields and, in case of doubts concerning the presence of those pests, by sampling and testing;

(b) in the case of pests listed in Annex II to Directive 2014/98/EU, by visual inspection in the facilities and fields and, in relation to pre-basic mother plants produced by renewal, also of the lots, and by sampling and testing.

(4) Subject to paragraph 5, sampling and testing for pests listed in Annex II to Directive 2014/98/EU must take place—

(a) in the most appropriate period of the year taking into account the climatic conditions and the growing conditions of the plant, and the biology of the pests relevant for that plant and, in the case of doubts concerning the presence of those pests, at any time of the year.

(5) Where a candidate pre-basic mother plant is a seedling, visual inspection and sampling and testing is only required in respect of the viruses, viroids or virus-like diseases that are transmitted by pollen and listed in Annex II to Directive 2014/98/EU, as regards the genus or species concerned if—

(a) an official inspection confirms the seedling concerned was grown from a seed produced by a plant free from symptoms caused by those viruses, viroids and virus-like diseases;

(b) the seedling has been maintained in accordance with paragraph 8.