1.2.2017   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 27/143

(1)

Implementing Directive 2014/98/EU lays down rules for the production, certification and marketing of pre-basic, basic and certified material.

(2)

During production strict provisions apply concerning the protection of pre-basic mother plants and pre-basic material against all types of infections by pests because pre-basic mother plants constitute the starting point of the production and certification process of propagating material and fruit plants. Article 8(1) of Implementing Directive 2014/98/EU obliges suppliers to maintain pre-basic mother plants and pre-basic material in designated facilities, which are insect-proof and ensure freedom from infection through aerial vectors and any other possible sources. Article 8(2) of that Directive requires that pre-basic mother plants and pre-basic material are individually identified throughout the production process. In addition, Article 8(3) of that Directive provides that pre-basic mother plants and pre-basic material are to be grown, isolated from the soil, in pots of soil-free or sterilised growing media.

(3)

Because of the absence of a harmonised certification scheme, suppliers are currently still allowed to produce pre-basic mother plants and pre-basic material in the open field. Implementing Directive 2014/98/EU will start to apply on 1 January 2017 and as from that date it will introduce for the first time the requirement for suppliers to produce pre-basic mother plants and pre-basic material in insect-proof facilities. Suppliers in certain Member States have already invested in the construction of insect-proof facilities before the entry into force of the rules of that Directive implementing Directive 2008/90/EC, and are consequently able to comply with the requirements laid down in Article 8(1), (2) and (3) of Implementing Directive 2014/98/EU as from the date of application of that Directive. Taking into account that the construction of such insect-proof facilities requires a considerable investment of human and financial resources, it is appropriate to allow sufficient time for suppliers of other Member States to adapt their production systems for certain species while continuing their production. Producers in Belgium and France have started earlier to invest in the construction of insect-proof facilities, whereas producers in the Czech Republic and Spain will need more time to comply with the requirement of production in insect-proof facilities.

(4)

Belgium, the Czech Republic, France and Spain have therefore submitted requests for a temporary authorisation to certify pre-basic mother plants and pre-basic material of certain species produced in the field under non-insect-proof conditions pursuant to Article 8(4) of Implementing Directive 2014/98/EU. Those authorisations should be limited in time and restricted to specific species.

(5)

In order to ensure an identical health status of pre-basic mother plants and pre-basic material produced in the open field as compared to pre-basic mother plants and pre-basic material produced in insect-proof facilities, appropriate measures should be provided for. Those measures concern identification, visual inspection, sampling and testing, isolation distance, treatment and growing conditions of the pre-basic mother plants and pre-basic material, and analysis of the soil in which those pre-basic mother plants and that pre-basic material are grown. In addition, measures to prevent cross-infection by machinery, grafting tools and any other sources should be provided for. Belgium, the Czech Republic, France and Spain have proposed the measures they deem necessary to limit the risk of infection in accordance with the climatic conditions, the growing conditions of the pre-basic mother plants and pre-basic material, the distance to any cultivated and wild species of importance for the pre-basic mother plants and pre-basic material concerned based on the expert knowledge regarding the prevalence and biology of the relevant pests.

(6)

In Belgium there is no commercial production of propagating material, fruit plants and rootstocks of Malus domestica, Prunus avium, P. cerasus, P. domestica, P. persica and Pyrus communis L. in the province of Luxembourg. To ensure an appropriate isolation distance to any cultivated Malus domestica, Prunus avium, P. cerasus, P. domestica, P. persica and Pyrus communis L., pre-basic mother plants and pre-basic material of those species should only be produced in the field in the province of Luxembourg.

(7)

France has a specific procedure whereby candidate pre-basic mother plants are selected in the field close to other plants of the same species which are not subject to a certification scheme. The Belgian nursery producing pre-basic mother plants and pre-basic material in the field is located adjacent to the village Mussy-la-ville. For this reason neither Belgium nor France can ensure an isolation distance. To safeguard the health of the selected candidate pre-basic mother plants and pre-basic mother plants concerned, those plants are regularly inspected and analysed more frequently.

(8)

Pre-basic mother plants and pre-basic material which have been produced in the field under non-insect-proof conditions should be identified through labels to ensure their traceability in accordance with Article 8(4) of Implementing Directive 2014/98/EU. Those labels should comply with the requirements laid down in Article 2 of Commission Implementing Directive 2014/96/EU (3). Moreover, those labels should provide the relevant information needed both for official control and to raise awareness of the user of the material. For this reason the labels should refer to the specific production conditions and contain the date until which the Member States concerned are authorised to certify pre-basic mother plants and pre-basic material produced in the field. Because of the limited size of the label, it should be allowed to limit the information on the label itself and to provide more detailed information regarding the authorisation in the document accompanying the label.

(9)

For plant health reasons it is appropriate to provide for rules enabling the tracing back of all basic and certified propagating material and fruit plants propagated from pre-basic mother plants and pre-basic material produced in the field. Consequently the labelling of all basic and certified propagating material and fruit plants propagated from pre-basic mother plants and pre-basic material produced in the field, should also explicitly refer to the fact that the pre-basic mother plants and pre-basic material are covered by the authorisation granted by this Decision.

(10)

In view of the above and to allow the suppliers in Belgium, the Czech Republic, France and Spain to gradually shift the production of pre-basic mother plants and pre-basic material in the open field to insect-proof facilities, those Member States should be temporarily authorised to certify in accordance with this Decision pre-basic mother plants and pre-basic material of specific species of fruit plants produced in the field under non-insect-proof conditions. That authorisation should apply until 31 December 2018 in the case of Belgium and France and until 31 December 2022 for the Czech Republic and Spain.

(11)

This Decision should apply from the same date as Implementing Directive 2014/98/EU.

(12)

The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,