Procedure A shall be used for checks on production as provided for in Article 52(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 and Article 26(2)(a) of this Regulation.

Procedure B shall be used in cases as referred to in Article 52(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 and Article 33(4) of this Regulation.

1. (a)

   Procedure A: in a standing crop of a given variety of hemp, a 30 cm part containing at least one female inflorescence of each plant selected shall be taken. Sampling shall be carried out during the period running from 20 days after the start of flowering to 10 days after the end of flowering, during the day, following a systematic pattern to ensure that the sample is representative of the field but excluding the edges of the crop.

   Member States may authorise sampling to be carried out during the period from the start of flowering to 20 days after the start of flowering provided that, for each variety grown, other representative samples are taken in accordance with the above rules during the period from 20 days after the start of flowering to 10 days after the end of flowering.

2. (b)

   Procedure B: in a standing crop of a given variety of hemp, the upper third of each plant selected shall be taken. Sampling shall be carried out during the 10 days following the end of flowering, during the day, following a systematic pattern to ensure that the sample is representative of the field but excluding the edges of the crop. In the case of dioecious varieties, only female plants shall be taken.

Procedure A: the sample shall comprise parts of 50 plants per field.

Procedure B: the sample shall comprise parts of 200 plants per field.

Each sample shall be placed in a fabric or paper bag, without crushing it, and be sent to the laboratory for analysis.

The Member State may provide for a second sample to be collected for counteranalysis, if required, to be kept either by the producer or by the body responsible for the analysis.

Drying of the samples shall begin as soon as possible and, in any case, within 48 hours using any method below 70 ^oC. Samples should be dried to a constant weight and to a moisture content of between 8 % and 13 %.

After drying, the samples shall be stored without crushing them at below 25 ^oC in a dark place.

Stems and seeds over 2 mm in size shall be removed from the dried samples.

The dried samples shall be grinded to obtain a semi-fine powder (passing through a 1 mm mesh sieve).

The powder may be stored for 10 weeks at below 25 ^oC in a dark, dry place.

Reagents

• Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol, pure for chromatographic purposes,

• Squalane, pure for chromatographic purposes, as an internal standard.

Extraction solution

• 35 mg of squalane per 100 ml hexane.

100 mg of the powdered test sample shall be weighed, be placed in a centrifuge tube and 5 ml of extraction solution shall be added containing the internal standard.

Place in an ultrasound bath and leave for 20 minutes. Centrifuge for five minutes at 3000 r.p.m. and then remove the supernatant THC solution. Inject the solution into the chromatograph and carry out a quantitative analysis.

1. (a)

   Apparatus

   • gas chromatograph with a flame ionisation detector and a split/splitless injector,

   • column allowing good separation of cannabinoids, for example a glass capillary column 25 m long and 0.22 mm in diameter impregnated with a 5 % non-polar phenyl-methyl-siloxane phase.

2. (b)

   Calibration ranges

   At least three points for procedure A and five points for procedure B, including points 0.04 and 0.50 mg/ml Δ⁹-THC in extraction solution.

3. (c)

   Experimental conditions

   The following conditions are given as an example for the column referred to in (a):

   • oven temperature 260 ^oC

   • injector temperature 300 ^oC

   • detector temperature 300 ^oC

4. (d)

   Volume injected: 1 μl