Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Seed Potatoes (Crop Fees) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 and shall come into operation on 14th April 2005.

Amendment to the Seed Potatoes (Crop Fees) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004

2.  The Seed Potatoes (Crop Fees) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004(3) shall be amended in accordance with Articles 3 to 6.

Interpretation

3.  In regulation 1 there shall be inserted “(3) “Pre-basic tissue culture” has the meaning assigned to it in Schedule 2 to the Seed Potatoes Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001(4)”.

Fees

4.—(1) Regulation 2 shall be amended in accordance with the following provisions of this regulation.

(2) After the words “seed potato crops” there shall be inserted “except for Pre-basic Tissue Culture”.

(3) After the words “in accordance with” there shall be inserted “Part A to”.

5.  After regulation 2 there shall be inserted the following new regulation –

“2A.  Subject to regulation 8 of the Seed Potatoes Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001, in respect of certification and classification of Pre-basic Tissue Culture, a fee shall be payable for the services specified and shall be determined by the work involved, charged at an hourly rate in accordance with Part B to the Schedule. Where a charge is made by reference to an hour, the full hourly charge shall be payable in respect of part of an hour.”

6.  For the Schedule to the Seed Potatoes (Crop Fees) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004 there shall be substituted the Schedule as set out in the Schedule to these regulations.

Regulation 6

SCHEDULE

Regulation 2 and Regulation 2A

“SCHEDULE

PART Afees for the certification of seed potato crops except for pre-basic tissue culture

PART Bfees for the certification of pre-basic tissue culture

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations amend the Seed Potatoes (Crop Fees) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004 which charge a fee per hectare or half hectare for the certification and classification of all seed potato crops. These Regulations facilitate the reinstatement of charges for the certification and classification of Pre-basic Tissue Culture potatoes by introducing hourly rates, thus taking into account different methods of growing that do not lend themselves to charging per hectare or half hectare.

Regulation 3 exempts the certification and classification of Pre-basic Tissue Culture from the previous charging rate of per hectare or per half hectare.

Regulation 4 inserts new regulations introducing fees for the certification of Pre-basic Tissue Culture according to an hourly rate.

Regulation 5 substitutes the Schedule to the Seed Potatoes (Crop Fees) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004 with a new Schedule. Part B to the Schedule sets the fee for the certification and classification of Pre-basic Tissue Culture at £38·00 per hour or part of an hour.