The Official Controls (Plant Health) (Prior Notification) and Phytosanitary Conditions (Amendment) Regulations 2023

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072 establishing uniform conditions for the implementation of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 of the European Parliament and the Council as regards protective measures against pests of plants (EUR 2019/2072, the “Phytosanitary Conditions Regulation”), in accordance with the outcome of risk assessments of pests of plants.

These Regulations also make changes to the arrangements for the transitional staging period (“the TSP”) referred to in Annex 6 to Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council on official controls and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products (EUR 2017/625, “the Official Controls Regulation”).

Part 2 amends the Phytosanitary Conditions Regulations.

Chapter 2 comes into force on 24th November 2023—

(a) regulation 3 removes certain pests from Annex 2 and regulation 6 removes corresponding conditions for imports from Annex 7;

(b) regulation 3 also adds the following provisional GB quarantine pests to the list of GB quarantine pests: Citrus exocortis viroid, Columnea latent viroid, Pepper chat fruit viroid and Tomato planta macho viroid; regulation 4 removes these pests from the list of provisional GB quarantine pests in Annex 2A and regulation 6 adds corresponding import requirements to Annex 7;

(c) regulation 4 also adds the following new pests to the provisional GB quarantine pest list: Coleosporium paederiae Dietal ex Hirats. f., Crisicoccus pini (Kuwana), Dendrolimus superans Butler, Platypus quercivorus (Murayama), Sirex nitobei Mats., and Urocerus japonicus (F. Sm);

(d) regulations 5 and 6 provide for the permitted import of Chamaecyparis Spach., Juniperus L., or Pinus L., from Japan, subject to certain conditions;

(e) regulation 6 also amends Annex 7 to amend import requirements for fruits of Capsicum, Solanaceae and Cucurbitaceae and to provide import requirements for ash wood from Canada and the USA.

Chapter 3 comes into force on 2nd May 2024—

(a) regulation 7 adds the following pests to the list of provisional GB quarantine pests: Raffaelea lauricola, Raffaelea quercivora and Platypus quercivorus;

(b) regulation 8 makes updates to import requirements for Tomato brown rugose fruit virus and extends the requirements for tubers of potatoes to plants of potatoes.

Part 3, which comes into force on 17th November 2023, amends the TSP arrangements so as to create an exception to the requirement for prior notification in respect of certain plants entering Great Britain from EU Member States, Liechtenstein or Switzerland.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen.