Enforcement/Sampler Monitoring and Certification Control
Summary of 2016-2017 Programme
Sampling, by Official Samplers of Seed Lots, either in Processors Warehouses or on Farms is required by the following EU Directives in order to monitor compliance.
Council Directive 66/402/EEC on the marketing of cereal seed
Article 19
The Member States shall make suitable arrangements for cereal seed to be officially controlled during marketing, at least by check sampling, as regards its compliance with the requirements of this Directive.
From Council Directive 2004/117/EC Article 2, 4(b) (for Cereals)
e) for the purposes of the supervision referred to in (d) a proportion of the seed lots entered for official certification shall be check-sampled by official seed samplers. That proportion shall in principle be as evenly spread as possible over natural and legal persons entering seed for certification, and the species entered, but may also be oriented to eliminate specific doubts. That proportion shall be at least 5%. This check sampling does not apply to automatic sampling. The Member States shall compare the seed samples drawn officially with those of the same seed lot drawn under official supervision;”
The Certifying Authority for Scotland set targets each year.
Enforcement/Sampler Monitoring / Cert Control – on farm / TotalCereals / Non-Cereals / Vegetables - packets / Cereals / Non-Cereals / All Species
Target / Samples / Target / Samples / Target / Samples / Target / Samples / Target / Samples / Target / Samples
70 / 70 / 21 / 26 / 27 / 20 / 101 / 96 / 25 / 34 / 245 / 246
Enforcement/Monitoring Sampling Target - based on the total number of Cereal samples entered for certification in 2015-2016
On Farm Sampling Target - Cereals based on number of Seed Lots Certified in Area and increased to include seed lots certified by other Certifying Authorities
All Non Cereals targets based on 25% of the Cereals Target
Certification Control & Enforcement Fails – Cereals
Analytical Purity
1 C1H Certification Control Sample, certified in Scotland, failed all grades and was out with tolerance of the standards. No action was taken, with the purchasers’ agreement, because of shortage of C1 seed of the variety sampled
1 Enforcement Sample failed C2H, but was within tolerance of the standards
Species Purity
1 Certification Control Sample failed BL, but was within tolerance of the standards
3 Certification Control Samples failed C2H, and all were within tolerance of the standards
6 Enforcement Sample failed C2H, and all were within tolerance of the standards
1 Enforcement Sample failed C2H and was out with tolerance of the standards. The sample passed C2L and the seed lot was downgraded to C2L.
1 C2L Certification Control Sample failed, but was within tolerance of the standards
Germination
1 Certification Control Sample failed but was within tolerance of the standards
1 Enforcement Sample failed but was within tolerance of the standards
1 Certification Control Sample failed and was outwith tolerance of the standards, APHA asked to investigate as this seed lot was certified in England & Wales.
Varietal Identity/Purity
No samples failed for varietal identity or purity
Certification Control & Enforcement Fails – Non Cereals
Species Purity
1 Enforcement grass sample failed for wild oats and was out with tolerance of the standards. The merchants were informed and told that “no further marketing of this seed should take place”
Germination
2 Enforcement Onion samples (pictorial packets) failed to meet the standards and both were out with tolerance of the standards. The merchants were informed and told that “no further marketing of this seed should take place”
1 Enforcement Grass sample (packet) failed to meet the standards and was out with tolerance of the standards.
1 Enforcement Grass sample (packet) failed to meet the standards and was within tolerance of the standards.
Varietal Identity/Purity
1 Enforcement sample of kale had a significant contamination of fodder rape found in the plot.
4 Enforcement Turnip samples (pictorial packets) failed to meet varietal identity
1 Enforcement Turnip sample (pictorial packet) had a 15% admixture of Oil Seed Rape
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