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

PART 3 Certification of basic material

Propagating material (other than mother plants and other than rootstocks not belonging to a variety)

14.—(1) Propagating material (other than basic mother plants and other than rootstocks not belonging to a variety) may be certified as basic material if that material meets the requirements in sub-paragraph (2).

(2) The requirements are that the propagating material—

(a) is propagated from a basic mother plant that has been—

(i) grown from pre-basic material; or

(ii) produced by multiplication from a basic mother plant in accordance with paragraph 19;

(b) has been verified by an inspector as being true to the description of its variety in accordance with paragraph 7;

(c) complies with the time period referred to in paragraph 8(4);

(d) complies with the requirements concerning defects in paragraph 12;

(e) complies with the health requirements in paragraph 16;

(f) has been grown in soil that is found, by sampling and testing, to comply with paragraph 17;

(g) has been maintained in accordance with paragraph 18; and

(h) where grown from pre-basic material, has been multiplied in accordance with paragraph 19.

(3) Where a basic mother plant or basic material no longer fulfils the requirements in sub-paragraphs 2(b) to (f) or paragraph 8(1), the supplier must either—

(a) remove the mother plant or material from the vicinity of other basic mother plants and basic material; or

(b) take appropriate measures to ensure that the mother plant or the material complies with those requirements again.

(4) A supplier may use any mother plant or material removed in accordance with sub-paragraph (3)(a) as certified material or CAC material provided the mother plant or material fulfils the requirements set out in these Regulations for the respective categories.

(5) For the purpose of this paragraph, any reference to pre-basic mother plants or to pre-basic material in paragraphs 7, 8(1) and (4) and 12 is to be construed as reference to basic mother plants or, as the case may be, to basic material.

Rootstock not belonging to a variety

15.—(1) A rootstock not belonging to a variety may be certified as basic material if it meets the requirements in sub-paragraph (2).

(2) The requirements are that the rootstock—

(a) is true to the description of its species;

(b) is individually identified throughout the production process;

(c) complies with the time period referred to in paragraph 8(4);

(d) complies with the requirements concerning defects in paragraph 12;

(e) complies with the health requirements in paragraph 16;

(f) has been grown in soil that is found, by sampling and testing, to comply with paragraph 17;

(g) has been maintained in accordance with paragraph 18; and

(h) where grown from pre-basic material, has been multiplied in accordance with paragraph 19.

(3) Where a rootstock not belonging to a variety is a basic mother plant or basic material that no longer fulfils the requirements in sub-paragraphs 2(b) to (f), the supplier must—

(a) remove the rootstock from the vicinity of other basic mother plants and basic material; or

(b) take appropriate measures to ensure the rootstock complies with those requirements again.

(4) A supplier may use any rootstock removed in accordance with sub-paragraph (3)(a) as certified material or CAC material provided the rootstock fulfils the requirements set out in these Regulations for the respective categories.

(5) For the purpose of this paragraph, any reference to pre-basic mother plants or pre-basic material in paragraphs 8(4) and 12 is to be construed as reference to basic mother plants or, as the case may be, to basic material.

Health requirements: basic mother plant or basic material

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

(2) The percentage of basic mother plants or basic material infested by the pests listed in the table in Part B of Annex I to Directive 2014/98/EU must not exceed the tolerance levels set out in the relevant column of that table.

(3) Compliance with sub-paragraphs (1) and (2) is established by visual inspection in the facilities, fields and lots and, in case of doubts concerning the presence of those pests, by sampling and testing.

(4) Visual inspections and sampling and testing must be carried out in accordance with Annex IV to Directive 2014/98/EU, as regards the genus or species concerned and, in the case of sampling and testing, in accordance with the appropriate protocol.

(5) Sub-paragraphs (1) and (2) do not apply to basic mother plants and basic material during cryopreservation.

Soil requirements: basic material

17.—(1) Basic mother plants and basic material may only be grown in soil that is free from any pests which are listed in Annex III to Directive 2014/98/EU, for the genus or species concerned and which host viruses affecting that genus or species.

(2) Freedom from such pests must be established by sampling and testing.

(3) Sampling and testing for pests listed in Annex III to Directive 2014/98/EU must be carried out—

(a) before the basic mother plants or the basic material is planted, and must be repeated during growth where there is suspicion concerning the presence of the pests referred to in sub-paragraph (1);

(b) taking into account the climatic conditions and the biology of the pests listed in Annex III to Directive 2014/98/EU, and where those pests are relevant for the basic mother plants or the basic material concerned.

(4) Sampling and testing is not required—

(a) where plants, which are hosts for the pests listed in Annex III to Directive 2014/98/EU for the genus or species concerned, have not been grown in the soil of production for a period of at least five years and where there is no doubt concerning the absence of the relevant pests in that soil;

(b) where the Department concludes on the basis of an official inspection that the soil is free from any pests which are listed in Annex III to Directive 2014/98/EU, for the genus or species concerned, and which host viruses affecting that genus or species.

Maintenance of basic mother plants and basic material

18.  Basic mother plants and basic material must be maintained in fields isolated by distance from potential sources of infection including aerial vectors, root contact, cross infection by machinery, grafting tools and any other possible sources.

Conditions for multiplication

19.—(1) Basic mother plants grown from pre-basic material may be multiplied in a number of generations to obtain the necessary number of basic mother plants.

(2) A basic mother plant must be multiplied in accordance with paragraph 13 and, for the purposes of this sub-paragraph, a reference to a pre-basic mother plant in paragraph 13 is to be construed as a reference to a basic mother plant.

(3) The maximum permitted number of generations, and the maximum permitted life span of basic mother plants must not exceed the limits set out in Annex V to Directive 2014/98/EU for the relevant genera or species.

(4) Where multiple generations of basic mother plants are permitted, each generation, other than the first one, may derive from any previous generation.

(5) Propagating material of different generations must be kept separate.