Defra have extended the existing temporary measure which permits UK plant passports to be applied in an EU member state until 30 June 2023. As before, the passport will have no legal status unless a number of terms are met at the first place of destination in Britain.
The extension applies to plants that are intended for final users only (i.e., for sale to final users), which can be evidenced from the packaging, labelling or by other means. The temporary measure extends only to the act of ‘attaching’ a UK plant passport. EU operators will still not be authorised to ‘issue’ UK plant passports, meaning that the GB operators responsible for the first place of destination of the relevant consignment will need to be authorised to issue those plant passports and would be responsible for record keeping. The GB operator will also be audited under the plant passport regime, and it is the GB operator’s registration number that will go in Part B of the UK plant passport
All plants will travel to GB under a phytosanitary certificate and are subject to official inspections as needed at Border Control Posts /Control Points, and upon arrival at first place of destination, the plants should be examined by the authorised business. Should the plants fail this examination, the draft plant passport must be removed.
Photo source: Twitter