The Seed Potatoes Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016

Regulations 2(1), 10(7) and 21(2)(a)

SCHEDULE 1 N.I. Growing crop reports

PART 1 N.I. General

1.  On receipt of an application for certification of any seed potatoes, an authorised officer shall— N.I.

(a) allocate to the person making the application a producer's identification number, (where one does not already exist for that person);

(b) carry out an official examination of the crop of seed potatoes to which the application relates to determine—

(i) in accordance with this Schedule, the category at which the seed potatoes are capable of being marketed;

(ii) in accordance with the relevant Table in Schedule 4, the Union grade at which the seed potatoes are capable of being marketed;

(c) where appropriate, determine the field generation of the seed potatoes; and

(d) subject to paragraphs 3 to 10, issue a growing crop report in accordance with paragraph 2.

2.  A growing crop report shall state— N.I.

(a) the name and address of the applicant;

(b) the producer's identification number;

(c) the category and Union grade at which the authorised officer has determined the seed potatoes are capable of being marketed in accordance with paragraph 1(b);

(d) the field generation;

(e) the date on which the growing crop report was issued;

(f) the variety of the seed potatoes;

(g) the area of the seed potatoes; and

(h) the farm survey number and the number of the field in which the crop was grown.

3.  A growing crop report shall only be issued if an authorised officer is satisfied that— N.I.

(a) the seed potatoes are of a variety of potato species listed in the National List or the Common Catalogue;

(b) the seed potatoes in any one crop are of a single variety;

(c) the seed potatoes are taken from a crop which is free from the following diseases or pests—

(i) Wart Disease;

(ii) Potato Cyst Nematode;

(iii) Ring Rot;

(iv) Brown Rot;

(v) Potato Tuber Eelworm;

(vi) PSTVd;

(vii) Colorado Beetle; and

(viii) Dickeya.

(d) the land on which the seed potatoes are growing or were grown—

(i) is not land in respect of which a notice has been served under article 32(4) of the Plant Health Order with regard to Wart Disease, Ring Rot or Potato Cyst Nematode and not withdrawn;

(ii) is not land within a zone demarcated under article 38(7) of the Plant Health Order to prevent the spread of Brown Rot;

(e) blanking in any of the growing crop of the seed potatoes is not or was not excessive;

(f) the growing crop—

(i) in the case of pre-basic seed potatoes, has not been rogued prior to examination; or

(ii) in the case of basic seed potatoes, any roguing has been carried out effectively and the growing crop has not been over-rogued; and

(g) all reasonable husbandry practices for the prevention of the occurrence, development or spread of diseases and pests have been effectively carried out.

PART 2 N.I. Pre-basic seed potatoes

4.—(1) A growing crop report stating that the seed potatoes are capable of being marketed as pre-basic seed potatoes shall not be issued unless the authorised officer is satisfied that the land on which the seed potatoes are growing— N.I.

(a) is land which, as a result of a soil test carried out by the Department prior to the planting of the crop, has been found not to be contaminated with Potato Cyst Nematode;

(b) is not demarcated under Schedule 15 to the Plant Health Order; and

(c) is land which has not been used for growing potatoes at any time during the six years immediately preceding the planting of the crop.

(2) Sub-paragraph (1)(a) does not apply in the case of seed potatoes grown in a soil-free medium.

5.  A growing crop report stating that the seed potatoes are capable of being marketed as pre-basic seed potatoes shall not be issued unless the authorised officer is satisfied that— N.I.

(a) the seed potatoes are derived from nuclear stock or mother plants that are free from Blackleg., Dickeya, Leafroll, PVA, PVY and Potato viruses M, S, and X;

(b) the seed potatoes are grown in the year of application for certification on a farm on which only pre-basic seed potatoes are planted;

(c) the growing plants are free from symptoms of Blackleg;

(d) the number of growing plants not breeding true to the variety or are of a different variety is not likely to be more than 0.01%;

(e) in the immediately succeeding crop produced from the seed potatoes the number of growing plants showing symptoms of virus infection is not likely to be more than 0.5%;

(f) the growing plants are free from symptoms caused by PVA, PVY and Leafroll;

(g) the number of growing plants with mosaic symptoms, other than symptoms caused by PVA and PVY, is not likely to be more than 0.1%; and

(h) the number of field generations does not exceed four.

PART 3 N.I. Basic seed potatoes

6.  A growing crop report stating that the seed potatoes are capable of being marketed as basic seed potato crops shall not be issued unless the authorised officer is satisfied that the land on which the seed potatoes are growing— N.I.

(a) is land which as a result of a soil test carried out, by the Department, prior to the planting of the crop has been found not to be contaminated with Potato Cyst Nematode;

(b) is not demarcated under Schedule 15 to the Plant Health Order; and

(c) is land which has not been used for growing potatoes at any time during the four years immediately preceding the planting of the crop.

7.  A growing crop report stating that the seed potatoes are capable of being marketed as basic seed potatoes shall not be issued unless the authorised officer is satisfied that the immediately succeeding crop produced from the seed potatoes is not likely to contain more than 4% by number of growing plants which show symptoms of virus diseases prevalent in Europe, where those symptoms are attributable to infection in the mother crop. N.I.

8.  A growing crop report stating that the seed potatoes are capable of being marketed as basic seed potatoes shall not be issued unless the authorised officer is satisfied that— N.I.

(a) the number of growing plants not breeding true to the variety or are of a different variety is not likely to be more than 0.1% and in the immediately succeeding crop produced from the seed potatoes the number is not likely to be more than 0.25%;

(b) the number of growing plants with mosaic symptoms caused by viruses prevalent in Europe and the number of plants with symptoms caused by Leafroll are together not likely to be more than 0.8%, of which symptoms caused by PVA, PVY and Leafroll collectively shall not exceed 0.4%; and

(c) the number of growing plants affected by Blackleg is not likely to be more than 1%.

9.  A growing crop report containing a statement that the conditions for basic seed potato crops have been met shall not be issued unless the authorised officer is satisfied that— N.I.

(a) the maximum number of generations of basic potatoes does not exceed four; and

(b) the combined generations of pre-basic potatoes in the field and basic potatoes does not exceed seven.