The Forest Reproductive Material (Great Britain) Regulations 2002

Offences and Penalties

30.—(1) A person shall be guilty of an offence if without reasonable excuse, proof of which shall lie with him, he—

(a) contravenes regulations 8(2), 9(2),(3) and (9)(a), 16(1), 17 and 21 to 25;

(b) breaches any condition on which a licence has been granted to him under regulation 18;

(c) fails to produce records or other documents when required to do so under regulation 26 or to provide access and reasonable facilities for the inspection or copying of electronic material under that regulation;

(d) obstructs or impedes an authorised officer, or any person nominated by an authorised officer under regulation 26(6) in the exercise of powers set out in regulations 26 and 27;

(e) provides or permits to be provided false information in any document required under these regulations; or

(f) falsifies test results of assessments carried out for the purpose of providing the information required under regulation 19(2) as read with regulation 20, or otherwise interferes with the testing process so that the information provided pursuant to regulation 19(2) as read with regulation 20 is false.

(2) A prosecution for an offence under this regulation may begin no later than after the expiry of—

(a) three years from the commission of the offence; or

(b) one year from its discovery by the Commissioners.

(3) A person guilty of an offence under paragraph (1) shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.