The Seed Marketing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016

Detailed requirements for certificationN.I.

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11.—(1) In order to be certified a sample of the seed from which the crop is going to be produced must be entered with the Department in sufficient time for the Department to grow a control plot.

(2) The Department may accept the entry of a sample of the seed after this time, but in this case the crop grown to produce the seed must be inspected by an official crop inspector in accordance with regulation 12.

(3) The crop used to produce the seed must be inspected by a crop inspector in accordance with the provisions relating to that crop in Schedule 2, and the crop inspector must certify that—

(a)the crop meets the standard for that crop specified in Schedule 2; or

(b)the crop meets a lower standard but still meets one of the standards in Schedule 2,

and lodge a report to that effect with the Department.

(4) The crop inspector may indicate that remedial action or further inspection is necessary before the crop is certified as meeting the required standard.

(5) Once the crop has been harvested and processed, a sample of the seed must be drawn by a licensed seed sampler (using current international sampling methods in so far as they exist) in accordance with the provisions relating to that crop in Schedule 2 (for the avoidance of doubt the seed lot sizes and sample weights are specified in each of the Directives in the Schedule dealing with the seed).

(6) The seed must be tested in a seed testing station (either licensed or operated by the Department), which must test the seed (using current international sampling and testing methods in so far as they exist) to ensure that the certification standards in Schedule 2 are complied with, and issue a seed test report stating the results and lodge the report with the Department.

(7) An application for certification of seed for which a seed test report has been lodged under paragraph (6), must be made to the Department—

(a)within 30 days of the seed test report being lodged or within such time as the Department may otherwise allow; and

(b)be accompanied by such information and documents as the Department may require.