This page contains information relating to EU exit for all subject matters falling under SASA’s remit.
We are now in a transition period. During the transition period, you should continue to use the current process to trade in plants and plant products with other EU countries as you do now up until the end of 2020 – there are no immediate changes to the process.
This means that the rules on importing & exporting plants and plant products will not change during the transition period.
This information is in development and will be regularly updated. If you cannot find guidance for specific issues relating to the above please contact euexit@sasa.gov.scot.
last updated: 24/2/20
The UK has left the EU and we will now enter a transition period until 31 December 2020.
The four UK administrations continue to work together to ensure fertiliser regulations remain operable and allow continued protection of human health and the environment, and stability for businesses and consumers.
The current EC label requirement will be replaced with a UK label requirement and conformity tests will be required to be carried out by UK labs. There will be a two year transition period for fertilisers marketed in the UK under current EU regulations, that is, products sold as EC fertilisers can continue to be marketed in the UK with the same packaging for two years as long as they continue to comply with EU regulations. We expect supply of fertilisers to remain consistent.
More information on the new UK fertiliser label, trading with the EU and EEA and ammonium nitrate imports can be found in a guidance note, prepared by Defra in consultation with the devolved administrations.
last updated: 24/2/20
The UK has left the EU and we will now enter a transition period until 31st December 2020.
While it is the intention of the UK Government to leave the EU with a deal, it is the responsibility of the UK and Scottish Governments to prepare for the possibility of a ‘no deal’ Brexit. If the UK leaves the EU without a deal some of the import and export processes for fresh fruit and vegetables that are subject to marketing standards will change.
There will be no changes to the process of importing and exporting fresh fruit and vegetables with non-EU third countries in a no-deal scenario.
If the UK leaves the EU without a deal the EU will become a third country for the purposes of trade with the UK. To help facilitate the efficient import of produce from the EU into the UK, importers will not be required to apply for a UK-issued certificate of conformity ahead of arriving in the UK. There will be increased inland inspections of produce to ensure that the quality of produce is maintained. Exporters from Scotland to the EU will be required to apply for a UK-issued certificate of conformity for produce covered by the Specific Marketing Standards which can be obtained by contacting the SASA’s Horticulture and Marketing Unit on hort.marketing@gov.scot. It is advised that Scottish exporters also contact the appropriate authority in the final destination of their exported produce to obtain a EU-issued certificate of conformity.
For further information the UK Government have issued a guidance note for fruit and vegetable importers, packers, distributors and retailers on the changes to the marketing standards if the UK leaves the EU with no deal.
last updated: 24/2/20
Pesticide Regulations and Brexit
The UK has left the EU and we will now enter a transition period until 31st December 2020.
The four UK administrations continue to work with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to ensure new regulations are similar to those in place before Brexit to protect human health and the environment and to provide stability for businesses and consumers.
The rules will be different depending on how the UK leaves the EU. The guidance below will help you prepare for each scenario.
HSE will continue to operate as the UK’s regulator in both deal and no deal scenarios.
last updated: 26/11/19
What businesses need to do to apply for DUS testing and/or plant variety rights after Brexit
Further guidance on Plant Breeders' Rights, variety registration (National Listing) and marketing of seeds and plant reproductive material can be found on the [UK Government website].
last updated: March 2020
The UK has left the EU and we are now in a transition period until 31 December 2020.
This page tells you what you'll need to do from January 2021. It will be updated if anything changes.
How to trade in plants and plant products, including trees, inside and outside the EU from 1 January 2021.
The UK will become a third country and will need to meet EU third country import requirements to export regulated plants and plant products to the EU from 1 January 2021.
For exports to the EU, third-country rules will apply on all:
The process for sending regulated plants and plant products to the EU will be the same as the current process for sending them to third countries. When you export regulated plants and plant products to third countries, you need to:
Controlled plant and plant products exports to the EU from the UK may be subject to checks at the EU border.
If you require more information about export requirements or wish to apply for a PC, contact the Horticulture and Marketing Unit by email at hort.marketing@gov.scot.
Some plants and plant products must meet specific requirements to enter ‘protected zones’ within EU countries.
EU Protected Zones (PZs) allow EU member states to place controls on imports and movements between member states. This prevents the introduction or spread of plant pests and diseases which are present elsewhere in the EU but absent from the Protected Zone.
The UK cannot designate all or parts of the UK as an EU Protected Zones from January 2021.
The UK will replace the biosecurity protections provided by EU Protected Zones by creating 2 new designations.
Quarantine pest designation
This will designate the existing plant pests and diseases covered by Protected Zone arrangements as ‘quarantine pests’. Quarantine pests are plant pests and diseases which are not established and which would be damaging if introduced, where they are absent from the whole of the UK.
Quarantine pests are prohibited from entering the UK and are subject to statutory control if found on plants or plant products. The requirements to prevent the entry of these pests will remain the same from 1 January 2021.
Pest Free Areas (PFAs) designations
This will designate PFAs in line with international standards for those pests and diseases which are absent from part of the UK, but not the whole of the UK. PFAs are declared in line with recognised international standards and requirements. They can be applied to movements of plants and plant products into PFAs.
Both EU PZs and PFAs allow countries to control movements of plants and plant products which may carry plant pests and diseases, where the whole country or an area within the country are free from those pests or diseases. Moving from PZs to quarantine pests and PFAs will not change the requirements for goods moving within the UK.
There will be no new import or movement restrictions from the replacement of certain PZs with requirements for quarantine pests. These requirements are already in place now under the PZ system. The requirements for importing into and moving within PFAs will be the same as they currently are for the equivalent PZs.
If you are moving plants and plant products into or within UK PZs currently, you need to use an EU plant passport. You will need to use a UK plant passport if you’re moving the relevant plants and plant products into or within UK PFAs from 1 January 2021.
Find details on Pest Free Areas and what plants must have passports to understand what to do from 1 January 2021.
Read Issuing plant passports to trade plants in the EU to understand how to apply for a UK plant passport.
last updated: 8/10/19
Should we leave the EU without a deal, the UK will be classed by the EU as a third country, therefore third country rules apply and any export from Scotland will need to comply with EU phytosanitary requirements. To see if this applies to you please use our exporting seed potatoes [flowchart].
Preparing for changes at the UK border if there's a no deal EU Exit
last updated: 3/2/2020
SMARTER RULES FOR SAFER FOODS – SEEDS MARKETING
The new Smarter Rules Safer Food (SRSF) package, is a set of EU regulations for the protection against animal disease and plant pests. The package will modernise, simplify and improve existing health and safety standards for the agri-food chain. The reason for you receiving this letter is that your business has been identified as having a specific interest in the trade of seed.
A transitional arrangement is being put in place for seed which are subject to marketing and certification requirements, and therefore you should note - New plant passport requirements for seed with an Regulated Non Quarantine Pest)(RNQP) will not apply for any seed produced before 14 December 2019.
Scottish Government is working on getting the new requirements in place in time for the new growing season from June 2020. Depending on the type of seed you trade in, you may need to register your business with the Certifying Authority at SASA. Specific sector guidance for the registration and authorisation process will follow in the New Year. In the meantime we would like to take this opportunity to provide you with a brief overview of SRSF and an insight to RNQPS and the possible need for Plant Passports.
Further information can be found [here].
last updated: 20/3/19
Should we leave the EU without a deal, the UK will be classed by the EU as a third country, therefore third country rules apply and any export from Scotland will need to comply with EU phytosanitary requirements. To see if this applies to you please use our exporting fruit in a no deal [flowchart].
last updated: 26/11/19
Should we leave the EU without a deal, the UK will be classed by the EU as a third country, therefore third country rules apply and any export from Scotland will need to comply with EU phytosanitary requirements. To see if this applies to you please use our exporting ornamental plants in a no deal [flowchart].
last updated: 26/11/19
Should we leave the EU without a deal, the UK will be classed by the EU as a third country, therefore third country rules apply and any export from Scotland will need to comply with EU phytosanitary requirements. To see if this applies to you please use our exporting [seed of vegetables in a no deal flowchart] and our [certified, basic/pre-basic seed flowchart].