Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Charges for certain plant health and plant varieties and seeds services provided by the Department in England were suspended in 1999 whilst a review was conducted of the legislative bases for these services. Some animal health and additional plant varieties and seeds services charges were also subsequently suspended. The review has now been completed and Defra has concluded that a number of the charges concerned should have a specific legislative base. The Department has therefore decided, in principle, to repay to the organisations and individuals concerned the money that was charged for these services during the six years prior to the suspension of charging. If you used the services listed below between the dates given you should receive a letter explaining what action you should take to claim a refund of the fees you paid. If you do not receive such a letter by 31 May, please write to the relevant contact for the services that you used, providing details of when you used the services and the fees paid, and your claim will be investigated. The services affected are: Plant Health (charges paid between 17 September 1993 and 16 September 1999) Export certificates for plants and plant products Seed potatoes: inspections for approved stock scheme Seed potatoes: inspection of pre-basic seed potatoes Seed potatoes: investigation of complaints Contact: Robert Love, Plant Health Corporate Services Unit, Defra, Room 339, Foss House, 1-2 Peasholme Green, York YO1 7PX. Plant Varieties and Seeds Provisional Seed Certification Scheme (charges paid between 1 August 1993 and 31 July 1999) Seed samplers’ and crop inspectors’ examinations (charges paid between 11 August 1993 and 10 August 1999) Examination of seed analysts (charges paid between 11 August 1993 and 10 August 1999) Additional costs of meeting statutory consent conditions for GM crop varieties in National List trials (charges paid between 9 December 1993 and 8 December 1999) OECD/ISTA certification (charges paid between 7 October 1997 and 6 October 1993) Purity and germination tests (charges paid between 1 February 1997 and 31 January 2003) Special tests for distinctness, uniformity and stability (charges paid between 2 December 1995 and 1 December 2001) Contact: Rob Pearson, Plant Variety Rights Office and Seeds Division, Defra, White House Lane, Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0LE. Animal Health (charges paid between 1 October 1997 and 30 September 2003) Poultry Health Scheme Factory Inspection Scheme Classical Swine Fever Certificates Contact: Andy Carroll, International Animal Health Division, Defra, Room 411, 1 a Page Street, London SW1P 4PQ. Following the review, legislation is in the process of being prepared where it is necessary to provide for charging for these services for the future. Industry contacts will be provided with further details of arrangements for the resumption of charging over the next few months. Parallel reviews were conducted by the administrations in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and by the Forestry Commission for charging in respect of equivalent services. Separate announcements are being made on the outcome of these reviews. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs March 2004.