Seeds (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Made15th May 1997

Coming into operation1st July 1997

The Department of Agriculture in exercise of the powers conferred on it by sections 1(1), 2(A)1, 22 and 4(1) to (4) of the Seeds Act (Northern Ireland) 19653 and of every other power enabling it in that behalf, after consultation with representatives of such interests as appear to it to be concerned, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation and commencement1.

These Regulations may be cited as the Seeds (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 and shall come into operation on 1st July 1997.

Amendment of the Oil and Fibre Plant Seeds Regulations (Northern Ireland) 19942.

(1)

The Oil and Fibre Plant Seeds Regulations (Northern Ireland) 19944 shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

(2)

In regulation 9 (Labelling of packages), after paragraph (4) there shall be inserted the following paragraph—

“(4A)
Notwithstanding paragraphs (2) and (3) a package (other than a small package) of Basic Seed, Certified Seed, Certified Seed of the First Generation, Certified Seed of the Second Generation or Certified Seed of the Third Generation may be marketed if—
(a)
the appropriate particulars of the matters specified in Part I of Schedule 6 are printed or stamped indelibly on the package in a panel of at least the size and of the colour so specified; and
(b)
the requirements of Part IV of that Schedule are satisfied.”.

(3)

In Schedule 6, after Part III there shall be added the following Part—

“Part IVPrinting of specified matters on packages(whole-bag labelling)
Seeds which have not been imported
A.
1.
The printing or stamping of the packages shall be under the supervision, and in accordance with the instructions, of the Department.
2.
Each package shall have printed or stamped on it, or be perforated with, an individual serial number allocated by the Department, which shall appear in the same panel as the particulars of the matters specified in Part I.
3.
Arrangements shall be made with the printer for returns to be made to the Department of the number of packages printed or stamped pursuant to regulation 9(4A) and of the individual serial numbers of such packages.
4.
The reference number of the seed lot and the month and year in which the package was officially sealed shall be printed or stamped under the supervision of the Department at the time of sampling for official examination.
5.
Each package of seed marketed in accordance with regulation 5(5) shall be capable of having affixed to it a supplier’s label containing a statement pursuant to regulation 9(3).
Seeds imported from Great Britain
B.
With respect to seeds imported from Great Britain it shall be sufficient compliance with this Part if the requirements of Part IV of Schedule 6 to the Oil and Fibre Plant Seeds Regulations 19935 are satisfied.
Seeds imported from another member State
C.
With respect to seeds imported from a member State other than the United Kingdom, such requirements of the member State from which the seeds have been imported as correspond to the requirements specified in this Part for seeds which have not been imported shall have been satisfied.”.

Amendment of the Fodder Plant Seeds Regulations (Northern Ireland) 19943.

In the Fodder Plant Seeds Regulations (Northern Ireland) 19946, in regulation 9(6) the words “of field beans or field peas” shall be deleted.

Miscellaneous amendments4.

(1)

The Regulations referred to in paragraph (2) shall be amended in accordance with that paragraph.

(2)

For the letters “EEC”, in each place where they occur in the following provisions, there shall be substituted the letters “EC”—

Vegetable Seeds Regulations (Northern Ireland) 19947, Schedule 6;
Beet Seeds Regulations (Northern Ireland) 19948, regulations 3, 5, 8 and 9 and Schedule 6;
Fodder Plant Seeds Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1994, regulations 3, 5, 8 and 9 and Schedule 6;
Cereal Seeds Regulations (Northern Ireland) 19949, Schedule 6; and
Oil and Fibre Plant Seeds Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1994, Schedule 6.

(3)

Labels printed prior to the coming into operation of these Regulations which contain particulars which have been amended by this regulation may continue to be used until 31st December 2001.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland on

L. G. McKibben

Assistant Secretary

15th May 1997.

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations implement as respects Northern Ireland—

(a)

Commission Decision 97/125/EC (O.J. No. L48, 19.2.97, p. 35) authorising the indelible printing of prescribed information on packages of seed of oil and fibre plants and amending Decision 87/309/EEC authorising the indelible printing of prescribed information on packages of certain fodder plant species; and

(b)

Council Directive 96/72/EC (O.J. No. L304, 27.11.96, p. 10) amending Directives 66/400/EEC, 66/401/EEC, 66/402/EEC, 66/403/EEC, 69/208/EEC and 70/458/EEC on the marketing of beet seed, fodder plant seed, cereal seed, seed potatoes, seed of oil and fibre plants and vegetable seed, save insofar as it amends Directive 66/403/EEC (seed potatoes) in relation to which it is to be implemented separately.

These Regulations further amend the Oil and Fibre Plant Seeds Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1994 to provide that certain particulars may be printed or stamped on a package of seeds rather than on a label secured on that package (regulation 2(2) and (3)).

These Regulations also further amend the Fodder Plant Seeds Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1994 so that the provision that certain particulars may be printed or stamped on a package of seeds rather than on a label secured to that package is no longer limited to field beans and field peas (regulation 3(2)).

These Regulations also provide for the substitution of the letters ‘EC' for the letters ‘EEC' in the provisions set out in regulation 4(2) and provide that remaining stocks of labels bearing the abbreviation “EEC” may continue to be used until 31st December 2001 (regulation 4(3)).