Oil and Fibre Plant Seeds (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations further amend the Oil and Fibre Plant Seeds Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1994 (S.R. 1994 No. 255), as amended by S.R. 1996 No. 312, S.R. 1997 No. 240, S.R. 2000 No 55 and S.R. 2001 No. 328 (“the 1994 Regulations”).

The 1994 Regulations implement Council Directive 69/208/EEC (replaced by 2002/57/EC) on the marketing of seed of oil and fibre plants.

Council Directive 2002/68/EC amends Directive 2002/57/EC to provide that the seed of hybrid varieties, and the seed of varietal associations, of swede rape and turnip rape shall be included within the scope of that Directive.

These Regulations implement Directive 2002/68/EC.

These Regulations –

(a) amend the definitions in the 1994 Regulations of Pre-Basic Seed, Basic Seed and Certified Seed (regulation 2(2));

(b) include provisions as to marketing, packaging and labelling of varietal associations of seeds (regulation 2(3), (4), (5) and (7));

(c) include provisions as to the varietal purity of, crop inspections of, and growing conditions for, hybrids of swede rape and turnip rape (regulation 2(6));

(d) include provisions as to the certification of hybrid varieties of swede rape and turnip rape (regulation 2(6)(b)).