This month the following pieces of legislation have been changed or altered:
The Official Controls and Phytosanitary Conditions (Amendment) Regulations 2021
Changes have been made to this instrument to ensure the phased plant health import control regime to assist businesses after the end of the EU Exit Transition Period, while also helping to protect biodiversity in the United Kingdom.
Under the amendment, high risk plants and plant products will be able to undertake inspections at inland PoDs as Border Control Posts will likely not be ready to cope with expected trade volumes until the end of the year.
The Plant Health and Propagating Material (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2021
Amendments made through the 2021 Regulations apply to the Marketing of Vegetable Plant Material Regulations of 1995 and the Marketing of Ornamental Plant Propagating Material Regulations 1999 and have been made to reflect amendments made to the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Through the amendment, plant health inspectors have been granted sufficient enforcement powers for undertaking official controls on plants and plant products at a PoD. These requirements have been introduced in the GB SI, the Official Controls and Phytosanitary Conditions (Amendment) Regulations 2021.