IMPORTATION OF SEED POTATOES REGULATIONS *

SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 64.01

IMPORTATION OF SEED POTATOES

REGULATIONS *

28th September, 1954

GOVERNMENT NOTICE 436 of 1954, as amended by Government

Notices 650 of 1955 and 550 of 1958.

The title of these Regulations is Importation of Seed

Potatoes Regulations.

(Regulation 3)

Certificate of health, quality and origin of potatoes

This is to certify that the seed potatoes included in the

consignment described below

l.

were grown in the district of .............................................

country............................................;

2. are the produce of crops which were inspected during the

growing season by inspectors of the Department of Agriculture

................................. and found to be true to type and standard of

purity of not less than 97%;

3. were examined by an inspector of the Department of

Agriculture................................ and found to be generally healthy

and free from

Synchytrium endobioticom Perc.(wart disease of potatoes)

Spongospora subterranea Walr.(powdery scab of potatoes)

Expitrex cucumeris (potato flea beetle)

Doryphora decemlineata (Colorado beetle)

and any other serious plant diseases and insect pests;

4. are packed in new sealed bags.

Particulars of consignment

Name of exporter ........................................................................

Address of exporter ....................................................................

Name of consignee......................................................................

Address of consignee ..................................................................

Variety .......................................................................................

Number of packages ...................................................................

Marks .........................................................................................

Port of shipment .........................................................................

Name of vessel............................................................................

Quantity .....................................................................................

Date of Inspection ......................................................................

SEAL MARK .................................. Signature ..........................

Senior Inspector

Department of Agriculture ...........................

Seed potatoes shall be imported into these Islands only

between the 1st day of November of each year and the 15th day of

the following March, both days included, and during that period no

potatoes for table use shall be imported into these Islands unless the

importation thereof is specially authorised in writing by the

Director of Agriculture. The aforesaid dates are referable to the

release of the goods by the Comptroller of Customs.

Every consignment of imported seed potatoes shall be

accompanied by a certificate in the form contained in the Schedule

to these Regulations, signed by an officer of the Department of

Agriculture of the country of origin.

All seed potatoes imported into these Islands shall be

packed in bags of a capacity of one hundredweight, provided that in

special circumstances the Director of Agriculture may specially

permit the importation into these Islands of seed potatoes packed

otherwise.

Each bag used for the packing of seed potatoes imported

into these Islands shall conform to the following specifications

(a) it shall be a new bag of a size of not less than fifty-

seven point one five centimetres by one hundred and

one point six centimetres and made out of cloth raving,

a minimum weight of two hundred and eighty-three

point five grams for each area of eighty-one point two

centimetres by hundred and one point six centimetres;

(b) it shall be distinctly marked "SEED POTATOES" in

block letters not less than five centimetres in height

and it shall likewise be marked distinctly with "the

name of the variety of the potatoes it contains and their

country of origin.

(a) Each bag shall be sealed and shall have attached to it a

printed label with the following declaration in the

English language

"The seal on this bag indicates that the seed

potatoes contained in it are the produce of a

certified crop and that prior to shipment they

have been examined for quality and grading by

*These Regulations have been repealed by Act XXXIV of 2023.

IMPORTATION OF SEED POTATOES

an officer of the Ministry of Agriculture of the

country of origin."

(b) The label aforesaid shall be attached to the bag in such

a manner as to show clearly that it was so attached

prior to the affixing of the seal.

(c) Where, notwithstanding that the provisions contained

in the first two paragraphs of this regulation have been

complied with, it is found necessary to sort or repack

seed potatoes imported into these Islands, containers

shall be used that as far as practicable shall conform to

the requirements contained in regulations 4 and 5 of

these Regulations and each such container shall be

sealed by an Officer of the Department of Agriculture.

(a) On arrival in these Islands, every consignment of seed

potatoes, though packed in accordance with these

Regulations, accompanied by the aforesaid certificate

and sealed as aforesaid, may be inspected by an officer

of the Department of Agriculture in order that he may

ascertain whether the seed potatoes are in a sound

condition and fit for use as seed.

(b) Should any part of a consignment of seed potatoes

imported into these Islands prove to be in an unsound

condition or otherwise unfit for use as seed, the

Director of Agriculture in his discretion may order the

seed potatoes in that consignment to be sorted at the

expense of the importer under the supervision of an

officer of the Department of Agriculture, with or

without disinfection of the potatoes as the Director of

Agriculture in his discretion may direct.

(c) The Director of Agriculture in his discretion may order

that any consignment of seed potatoes imported into

these Islands or any part of any such consignment that

respectively is found to be in an unsound condition or

otherwise unfit for use as seed shall be destroyed or

shall be otherwise dealt with as he may deem

appropriate, in each case at the expense of the

importer.

(d) The provisions contained in paragraphs (b) and (c) of

this regulation or any of them shall not apply if the

importer elects to re-ship the seed potatoes concerned

within a time to be determined in each case by the

Director of Agriculture.

The Director of Agriculture may on the application of any

person and on the payment of the fee prescribed under the Fees

Regulations, issue a phytopathological or commercial certificate in

respect of any parcel of seed potatoes imported into these Islands or

of any part of such a parcel.

These Regulations are in addition to any provisions of law

or other enactment that is or may be in force from time to time, and

i n p a r t i c u l a r n o t h i n g i n t h e s e R e g u l a t i o n s s h a l l a ff e c t a n y

regulations of a phytopathological character in force or which may

be enacted from time to time in virtue of any law.

Nothing in these Regulations shall be deemed to affect the

importation into these Islands of seed potatoes for use by the

Government.