{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/plant-health-great-britain-order-1987/article-15",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/plant-health-great-britain-order-1987/article-15.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/1987/1758",
  "legislation_title": "The Plant Health (Great Britain) Order 1987",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/plant-health-great-britain-order-1987",
  "path": "article/15",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "15",
  "heading": "Actions which may be taken by an inspector",
  "text": "(1) If an inspector has reasonable grounds for suspecting that any plant pest, genetically manipulated material, plant, plant product, agricultural machinery, soil or growing medium is likely to be, or has been, landed in Great Britain in contravention of this Order, he may by notice in writing served on the importer or any person in charge of the vessel, aircraft, vehicle, hovercraft or freight container from which such plant pest, genetically manipulated material, plant, plant product, agricultural machinery, soil or growing medium is likely to be, or has been landed—\n(i) prohibit the landing;\n(ii) specify the manner in which the landing is to be carried out and the precautions which are to be taken during and subsequent to the landing;\n(iii) require the plant pest, genetically manipulated material, plant, plant product, agricultural machinery, soil or growing medium to be treated, re-exported, destroyed or otherwise disposed of in such manner and within such reasonable time as may be specified in the notice;\n(iv) prohibit the removal of the plant pest, genetically manipulated material, plant, plant product, agricultural machinery, soil or growing medium from premises specified in the notice;\n(v) require the removal of the plant pest, genetically manipulated material, plant, plant product, agricultural machinery, soil or growing medium to premises specified in the notice in such manner and within such reasonable time as may be so specified;\n(vi) require the taking of such other steps, specified in the notice, as appear to the inspector to be necessary to prevent the introduction or spread of any plant pest or genetically manipulated material in such manner and within such reasonable time as may be specified in the notice.\n(2) If an inspector has reasonble grounds for suspecting that there is present or there is likely to be present on any premises—\n(a) any plant, plant product, soil, hop pole or hop picking machine as a consequence of the contravention of articles 21, 26, 29 to 32, 34 or 36 to 41;\n(b) any plant pest of a description specified in Part I or column 2 of Part II of Schedule 1 (other than a plant pest of a description specified in Part III of that Schedule) or which is mentioned in column 3 of Schedule 3;\n(c) any plant pest which is not normally present in Great Britain and in respect of which there is in the opinion of an inspector an imminent danger of its spreading or being spread in Great Britain;\n(d) any plant, plant product, soil or growing medium which is carrying or infected with, or which may be carrying or infected with, a plant pest mentioned in sub-paragraphs (b) or (c) of this paragraph;\n(e) any genetically manipulated material;\nhe may by notice in writing served on the occupier or other person in charge of the premises or of any of the things mentioned in sub-paragraph (a) to (e) of this paragraph—\n(i) require any of the things so mentioned to be treated, destroyed or otherwise disposed of in such manner and within such reasonable time as may be specified in the notice;\n(ii) prohibit the removal of those things or impose such other prohibitions as appear to the inspector to be necessary to prevent the spread of any plant pest or genetically manipulated material;\n(iii) require the removal of those things to premises specified in the notice in such manner and within such reasonable time as may be so specified;\n(iv) require the taking of such other steps, specified in the notice, as appear to the inspector to be necessary to prevent the spread of any plant pest or genetically manipulated material in such manner and within such reasonable time as may be specified in the notice.\n(3) If an inspector has reasonable grounds for believing that it is necessary for the purpose of preventing the spread of any plant pest or genetically manipulated material from the premises mentioned in paragraph (2) of this article, he may by notice in writing served on the occupier or other person in charge of any other premises impose such prohibitions and require the taking of such reasonable steps, specified in the notice, as appear to him to be necessary for that purpose, such steps to be taken in such manner and within such reasonable time as may be specified in the notice.\n(4) If an inspector has reasonable grounds for suspecting that any plant pest of a description specified in Schedule 8 other than potato cyst nematode is present on any premises, or if, in consequence of the examination of a sample of soil taken from any premises for the purpose of preventing the spread of potato cyst nematode or for any other purpose of this Order, it appears to an inspector that those premises are infected with potato cyst nematode, he may by notice in writing served on the occupier or other person in charge of such premises declare the premises infected with the appropriate plant pest for the purposes of Part III of this Order, the provisions of which shall be without prejudice to the provisions of this article.\n(5) An inspector may serve on the occupier or other person in charge of premises which surround, adjoin or are in close proximity to premises declared infected with wart disease of potatoes a notice declaring the first mentioned premises to be a safety zone.\n(6) Any notice served under paragraph (4) or (5) of this article may define by reference to a map or plan or otherwise the extent of the premises declared in the notice to be infected, or to be a safety zone, as the case may be.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1987/1758/article/15",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T16:19:34.545107+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}