The Seed Potatoes (England) Regulations 2006

PART III Basic seed potatoes

7.  No growing crop certificate shall be issued containing a statement that seed potatoes are capable of being marketed as basic seed potatoes of any class unless the authorised officer is satisfied that—

(a) the land on which the seed potatoes are growing or were grown is land which as a result of an official soil test carried out prior to the planting of the crop has been found not to be contaminated with potato cyst nematode (Globodera species infecting potatoes); and if potato cyst nematode has been found on that land at any time during the period of 12 years immediately preceding the planting of the crop that—

(i) the land is no longer demarcated under Schedule 15 to the Plant Health (England) Order 2005 as infected with potato cyst nematode;

(ii) six years have elapsed since the last positive finding of infection by potato cyst nematode on the land; and

(iii) except as authorised under paragraph 5 of Schedule 15 to the Plant Health (England) Order 2005, the land has not been used for growing potatoes at any time during the period of 11 years immediately preceding the planting of the crop; and

(b) the land on which the seed potatoes are growing or were grown is land which has not been used for growing potatoes at any time during the five years immediately preceding the planting of the crop.

8.  No growing crop certificate shall be issued containing a statement that seed potatoes are capable of being marketed as basic seed potatoes of any class unless, in the opinion of the authorised officer, the immediately succeeding crop produced from the seed potatoes is likely to contain—

(a) not more than 0.25 per cent by number of growing plants which do not breed true to variety and not more than 0.1 per cent by number of plants which are of a different variety; and

(b) not more than 4 per cent by number of growing plants which show symptoms, other than slight symptoms, of either mild or severe virus diseases prevalent in Europe where those symptoms are attributable to infection in the mother crop.