Regulations, 2021

Suppliment tal-Gazzetta tal-Gvern ta’ Malta Nru. 20,701, 17 ta’ Settembru, 2021

L.N. 366 of 2021

PLANT QUARANTINE ACT

(CAP. 433)

Seeds of Agricultural Plants and Vegetables (Amendment)

Regulations, 2021

IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by article 32 of the Plant

Quarantine Act, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and

Animal Rights has made the following regulations:-

(1) The title of these regulations is the Seeds of Citation and

Agricultural Plants and Vegetables (Amendment) Regulations, 2021 scope.

and these regulations shall be read and construed as one with the Seeds S.L. 433. 30.

of Agricultural Plants and Vegetables Regulations, hereinafter referred

to as "the principal regulations".

(2) The scope of these regulations is to transpose Commission

Implementing Directive (EU) 2021/415 of 8 March 2021 amending

Council Directives 66/401/EEC and 66/402/EEC in order to adapt to

the evolution of scientific and technical knowledge, taxonomic groups

and names of certain species of seeds and weeds.

Schedule I to the principal regulations shall be amended as Amends

Schedule I to

follows

the principal

regulations.

(a)

Table 1.1 thereof shall be amended as follows

(i) the seventh definition

thereof shall be

substituted by the following new definition

"Sorghum

(L.) Sorghum";

bicolor

Moench subsp. bicolor

(ii) the eighth definition thereof shall be substituted

by the following new definition

"Sorghum

(L.) Sudan grass";

bicolor

Moench subsp. drummondii

(Steud.) de Wet ex Davidse

(iii) the tenth definition thereof shall be substituted

by the following new definition

"Triticum aestivum L. subsp. Wheat";

aestivum

(iv) the eleventh definition thereof

shall

be

substituted by the following new definition

"Triticum turgidum L. subsp. Durum wheat";

durum (Desf.) van Slageren

(v) the twelfth definition thereof

shall

be

substituted by the following new definition

"Triticum aestivum L. subsp. Spelt wheat"; and

spelta (L.) Thell.

(vi) the fourteenth definition thereof shall be

substituted by the following new definition

"Sorghum

(L.) Hybrids resulting from the

bicolor

Moench subsp. bicolor x crossing of Sorghum bicolor

(L.) (L.) Moench subsp. bicolor

Sorghum

bicolor

Moench subsp. drummondii and Sorghum bicolor (L.)

(Steud.) de Wet ex Davidse

Moench subsp. drummondii

(Steud.)

de

Wet

ex

Davidse"; and

(b) Table 1.2 thereof shall be substituted by the following

new Table

Common Name

Poaceae (Gramineae)

Grasses

Agrostis canina L.

Velvet bent

Agrostis capillaris L.

Brown top

Agrostis gigantea Roth.

Roth Redtop

Agrostis stolonifera L.

Creeping bent grass

Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.

Bermuda grass

Festuca filiformis Pourr.

Fine-leaved sheep’s fescue

Festuca ovina L.

Sheep’s fescue

Festuca pratensis Huds.

Meadow fescue

Festuca rubra L.

Red fescue

Festuca trachyphylla (Hack.) Hack.

Hard fescue

Lolium multiflorum Lam.

Italian ryegrass (incl.

Westerwold ryegrass)

Lolium perenne L.

Perennial ryegrass

Poa pratensis L.

Smooth-stalked meadow grass

Legumes

Fabaceae (Leguminosae)

Biserrula pelecinus L.

Biserrula

Galega orientalis Lam.

Fodder galega

Hedysarum coronarium L.

Sulla

Lathyrus cicera L.

Chickling vetch/Dwarf chickling

vetch

Medicago doliata Carmign.

Straight-spined medic

Medicago italica (Mill.) Fiori

Disc medic

Medicago littoralis Rohde ex Loisel.

Shore medic/Strand medic

Medicago murex Willd.

Sphere medic

Medicago polymorpha L.

Bur medic

Medicago rugosa Desr.

Wrinkled medic/Gama medic

Medicago sativa L.

Lucerne

Medicago scutellata (L.) Mill.

Snail medic/Shield medic

Medicago truncatula Gaertn.

Barrel medic

Ornithopus compressus L.

Yellow serradella

Ornithopus sativus Brot.

Serradella

Pisum sativum L. (partim)

Field pea

Trifolium alexandrinum L.

Berseem, Egyptian clover

Trifolium fragiferum L.

Strawberry clover

Trifolium glanduliferum Boiss.

Glandular clover

Trifolium hirtum All.

Rose clover

Trifolium isthmocarpum Brot.

Moroccan clover

Trifolium michelianum Savi

Balansa clover

Trifolium pratense L.

Red clover

Trifolium squarrosum L.

Squarrose clover

Trifolium subterraneum L.

Subterranean clover

Trifolium vesiculosum Savi

Arrow-leaf clover

Vicia benghalensis L.

Purple vetch

Vicia faba L.

Field bean

Vicia sativa L.

Common vetch

".

Schedule II to the principal regulations shall be amended as

(a) the footnote of Table 1.6 thereof shall be substituted

by the following new footnote

"(*) In the areas where the presence of S. halepense

or S. bicolor subsp. drummondii is a particular cross-

pollination issue, the following shall apply

(a) crops to produce basic seed of Sorghum bicolor

subsp. bicolor or its hybrids must be isolated not less than

800 m from any source of such contaminating pollen;

(b) crops to produce certified seed of Sorghum

bicolor subsp. bicolor or its hybrids must be isolated not

less than 400 m from any source of such contaminating

pollen.";

(b) paragraph (b) of item 4 under Section I Cereals

thereof shall be substituted by the following new paragraph

"(b) The number of field inspections shall be at

least

for Avena nuda, Avena sativa, Avena strigosa,

Hordeum vulgare, Phalaris canariensis, xTriticosecale,

Triticum aestivum subsp. aestivum, Triticum turgidum

subsp. durum, Triticum aestivum subsp. spelta, Secale

cereale: 1";

(c) Item C under Table 1.7 thereof shall be substituted by

the following new item

"C. Crops to produce certified seed of hybrids of

Avena nuda, Avena sativa, Avena strigosa, Triticum

aestivum subsp. aestivum, Triticum turgidum subsp.

durum, Triticum aestivum subsp. spelta and self-

pollinating xTriticosecale and crops to produce certified

seed of hybrids of Hordeum vulgare by means of a

technique other than Cytoplasmic Male Sterility (CMS)

1. Varietal identity and varietal purity

The crop shall have sufficient identity and purity as

regards the characteristics of the components.

Where seed is produced by use of a chemical

hybridisation agent, the crop shall conform to the

following other standards or conditions

(i) the minimum varietal purity of each

component shall be

— Avena nuda, Avena sativa, Avena

strigosa,

Hordeum

vulgare,

Triticum

aestivum subsp. aestivum, Triticum turgidum

subsp. durum and Triticum aestivum subsp.

spelta: 99,7%,

— self-pollinating xTriticosecale

99,0%;

(ii) the minimum hybridity must be 95%.

The percentage hybridity shall be assessed in

accordance with current international methods, in

so far as such methods exist. In cases where the

hybridity is determined during seed testing prior to

certification, the determination of the hybridity

during field inspection need not be done.

2. Isolation distances

The crop shall conform to the following standards

as regards distances from neighbouring sources of pollen

which may result in undesirable foreign pollination

— the minimum distance of the female component

shall be 25 m from any other variety of the same species

except from a crop of the male component,

— with the approval of the Directorate, this

distance can be disregarded if there is sufficient

protection from any undesirable foreign pollination.

3. Crops to produce basic and certified seed of

hybrids of Hordeum vulgare by means of the technique

of CMS

(a) The crop shall conform to the following

standards as regards distances from neighbouring

sources of pollen which may result in undesirable

foreign pollination

Minimum distance

For the production of basic seed

100m

For the production of certified

50m

(b) The crop shall have sufficient varietal identity

and purity as regards the characteristics of the

components.

In particular, the crop shall conform to the

following standards

(i) The percentage by number of plants which are

obviously not being true to type shall not exceed

- for the crops used to produce basic seed, 0.1% for

the maintainer and the restorer line and 0.2% for the

CMS female component, and

- for the crops used to produce certified seed, 0.3%

for the restorer and the CMS female component and 0.5%

in case the CMS female component is a single hybrid.

(ii) The level of male sterility of the female

component shall be at least

- 99.7% for crops used to produce basic seed, and

- 99.5% for crops used to produce certified seed.

(iii) The requirements of points (i) and (ii) shall be

examined in official post-control test.

(c) Certified seed may be produced in mixed

cultivation of female male-sterile component with a male

component which restores fertility.".

Schedule III to the principal regulations shall be amended

(a) item A of Section I Cereals thereof shall be

substituted by the following new item

"A. Avena nuda, Avena sativa, Avena strigosa,

Hordeum vulgare, Triticum aestivum subsp. aestivum,

Triticum turgidum subsp. durum, Triticum aestivum subsp.

spelta other than hybrids in each case (Table 1.14)

Table 1.14

Minimum varietal purity (%)

99.9

Certified seed, 1st generation

99.7

Certified seed, 2nd generation

99.0

The minimum varietal purity shall be examined

mainly in field inspections carried out in accordance with

the conditions laid down in Schedule II Section I.";

(b)

item C of Section I Cereals thereof shall be

substituted by the following new item

"C. Hybrids of Avena nuda, Avena sativa, Avena

strigosa, Hordeum vulgare, Triticum aestivum subsp.

aestivum, Triticum turgidum subsp. durum, Triticum

subsp.

and

self-pollinating

aestivum

spelta,

xTriticosecale

The minimum varietal purity of the seed of the

category certified seed shall be 90%.

In case of Hordeum vulgare produced by means of

Cytoplasmic Male Sterility (CMS), it shall be 85%.

Impurities other than the restorer shall not exceed 2%.

The minimum varietal purity shall be examined in

official post-control test on an appropriate proportion of

samples.";

(c) in the first column of Table 1.17 thereof, the words

"Avena sativa, Avena strigosa Hordeum vulgare Triticum

aestivum Triticum durum Triticum spelta." shall be substituted

by the words "Avena sativa, Avena strigosa, Hordeum vulgare,

Triticum aestivum subsp. aestivum, Triticum turgidum subsp.

durum, Triticum aestivum subsp. spelta.";

(d) The heading "Elytrigia repens" of column 5 in Table

1.19 thereof shall be substituted by the words "Elymus repens";

and

(e) The heading "Elytrigia repens" of column 7 in Table

1.20 thereof shall be substituted by the words "Elymus repens".

Table 1.32 of Schedule IV to the principal regulations shall Amends

be substituted by the following new Table

"

Species

Maximum

Minimum

Weight of a

weight of a lot

weight of a

sample for

(tonnes)

sample to be

determinati

drawn from a

on

by

lot (grams)

number

provided for

in

Table

1.16

&

columns 4 to

8 of Table

1.17

(Schedule

III) (grams)

Avena nuda

Avena sativa

Avena strigosa

Hordeum vulgare

Triticum aestivum

subsp. aestivum

Triticum turgidum

subsp. durum

Triticum aestivum

subsp. spelta

x Triticosecale

Secale cereale

Phalaris

canariensis

Sorghum bicolor

(L.) Moench subsp.

bicolor

Sorghum bicolor

(L.) Moench subsp.

drummondii

(Steud.) de Wet ex

Davidse

Hybrids

of

Sorghum bicolor

(L.) Moench subsp.

bicolor x Sorghum

(L.)

bicolor

Moench

subsp.

drummondii

(Steud.) de Wet ex

Davidse

Zea mays, basic

seed of inbred lines

Zea mays, basic

seed other than

inbred

lines;

certified seed

".

€0.45