Seeds (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Explanatory Note

(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)).