1. The Scottish Ministers may ascertain, so far as practicable, whether the requirements for the crop set out in this Part of the Schedule are met by the use of methods which shall include official field inspection of the crop and which may include examination of a control plot sown with a sample from the seed lot and the consideration of any other relevant information.
2.—(1) The characteristics used for the determination of varietal identity and varietal purity shall be those to which regard was had when the relevant variety was accepted on to the relevant UK National List, an equivalent list in another EEA state or the Common Catalogue.
(2) The crop shall possess sufficient varietal identity and varietal purity.
3.—(1) An official examination of the crop shall be made by means of an official field inspection.
(2) The official field inspection shall only be carried out when the cultural condition of the field and the stage of development and condition, including health, of the crop—
(a)are such as to permit suitable checks of varietal identity, varietal purity and species purity; and
(b)meets the requirements of the Scottish Ministers.
(3) In the case of certified seed there shall be at least one official field inspection and in the case of Pre-Basic Seed and Basic Seed at least two official field inspections, one of stecklings and one of the seed-producing plants.
4.—(1) The previous cropping of the field shall not have been incompatible with the production of seed of the species and variety of the crop, and the field shall be sufficiently free from plants which are volunteers (plants of a species and variety that have grown from seed that was not deliberately sown as part of the crop) from previous cropping.
(2) The crop may be grown only on land which complies with the Scottish Ministers’ requirements in respect of previous cropping.
5.—(1) There shall be a physical barrier or at least two metres of fallow between the seed crop and any crop likely to cause contamination in the seed.
(2) The minimum distances from neighbouring pollen sources shall be:
Crop | Minimum distance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | For the production of Pre-Basic and Basic Seed: from any pollen sources of the genus Beta | 1,000 m | ||
| 2. | For the production of Certified Seed: | |||
| (a) | of sugar beet: | |||
| – | from any pollen sources of the genus Beta not included below | 1,000 m | ||
| – | the intended pollinator or one of the intended pollinators being diploid, from tetraploid sugar beet pollen sources | 600 m | ||
| – | the intended pollinator being exclusively tetraploid, from diploid sugar beet pollen sources | 600 m | ||
| – | from sugar beet pollen sources, the ploidy of which is unknown | 600 m | ||
| – | the intended pollinator or one of the intended pollinators being diploid, from diploid sugar beet pollen sources | 300 m | ||
| – | the intended pollinator being exclusively tetraploid, from tetraploid sugar beet pollen sources | 300 m | ||
| – | between two sugar beet seed production fields in which male sterility is not used | 300 m | ||
| (b) | of fodder beet: | |||
| – | from any pollen sources of the genus Beta not included below | 1,000 m | ||
| – | the intended pollinator or one of the pollinators being diploid, from tetraploid fodder beet pollen sources | 600 m | ||
| – | the intended pollinator being exclusively tetraploid, from diploid fodder beet pollen sources | 600 m | ||
| – | from fodder beet pollen sources, the ploidy of which is unknown | 600 m | ||
| – | the intended pollinator or one of the pollinators being diploid, from diploid fodder beet pollen sources | 300 m | ||
| – | the intended pollinator being exclusively tetraploid, from tetraploid fodder beet pollen sources | 300 m | ||
| – | between two fodder beet seed production fields in which male sterility is not used | 300 m | ||
The above distances can be disregarded if there is sufficient protection from any undesirable foreign pollinator. No isolation is necessary between seed crops using the same pollinator.
The ploidy of both seed-bearing and pollen-shedding components of seed-producing crops is to be established by reference to the Common Catalogue or UK National List.
If this information is not included for any variety, the ploidy is to be regarded as unknown, and a minimum isolation distance of 600 metres is required.
(3) With approval of the Scottish Ministers these distances may be modified if there is adequate protection against undesirable pollen.