The Plant Health (Import Inspection Fees) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2009

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Plant Health (Import Inspection Fees) (England) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/1879) (“the principal Regulations”). The principal Regulations implement Article 13d of Council Directive 2000/29/EC (OJ No L 169, 10.7.00, p1) (“the Directive”), which requires member States to charge fees to cover the costs occasioned by the documentary checks, identity checks and plant health checks of certain imports of plants, plant products and other objects from third countries.

The Directive contains a procedure (Articles 13a(2), 13d(2) and 18(2)) for setting reduced rates of inspection for imports of certain plants and plant products and for charging fees at a proportionately reduced rate. Schedule 2 to the principal Regulations sets out the fees for reduced rate inspections and these Regulations amend that Schedule to set out the fees corresponding to the latest rates of inspection. The changes to the fees made by these Regulations, which are set at a proportion of the standard fee (described in Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations) corresponding to the rate of inspection, are based on the agreed inspection rates set out below:

Genus	Country of origin	Previous rate of inspection	Initial fee(1)	New rate of inspection	Initial fee, specified in Schedule 2
(1) Initial fee per consignment for cut flowers (up to 20,000 in number) and fruit and vegetables (up to 25,000 kg in weight). Corresponding fees are set in the Regulations for additional quantities, maximum price per consignment and non-daytime working hours.
(2) Consignments subject to an inspection rate of 100% are excluded from the reduced rate inspection scheme and are subject to the import inspection fees specified in Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations.
(3) New rates apply from 1st September 2009. Other changes apply from 1st January 2010.
Cut Flowers
Dianthus	Israel	35%	£4.63	50%	£6.62
Dianthus	Kenya	10%	£1.32	25%	£3.31
Rosa	India	50%	£6.62	100%(2) (3)	-
Rosa	Uganda	50%	£6.62	100%(2) (3)	-
Rosa	Zambia	25%	£3.31	50%	£6.62
Fruit
Mangifera	Brazil	5%	£0.66	10%	£1.32
Psidium	Brazil	100%	£13.24	75%	£9.93
Prunus	Argentina	25%	£3.31	35%	£4.63
Pyrus	Argentina	25%	£3.31	15%	£1.98
Pyrus	China	50%	£6.62	35%	£4.63
Citrus	Honduras	75%	£9.93	50%	£6.62
Citrus	Israel	25%	£3.31	15%	£1.98
Citrus	Peru	25%	£3.31	35%	£4.63
Vegetables
Solanum melongena	Turkey	15%	£1.98	10%	£1.32

The regulatory impact assessment which was prepared in respect of the predecessor to the principal Regulations (S.I. 2005/906) foresaw changes to the fees for plant health import inspections to which these Regulations apply. This was placed in the Library of each House of Parliament. Copies can be obtained from the Food and Environment Research Agency, Sand Hutton, York YO41 1LZ.