The fees are payable in relation to specified inspections and other operations carried out pursuant to Council Directive 2000/29/EC on protective measures against the introduction into the Community of organisms harmful to plants or plant products and against their spread within the Community (OJ No L 169, 10.7.2000, p.1).

The fees for documentary, identity and plant health checks in relation to certain imports of plants, plant products and other objects from third countries (regulation 2 and Schedules 1, 2 and 3) are specified pursuant to the requirement in Article 13d of Directive 2000/29/EC.

The Regulations consolidate several previous instruments which dealt separately with particular fees in relation to plant health; those previous instruments are revoked (regulation 7). These Regulations do not introduce any new types of fee.

The fee levels provided for in this instrument form part of a phased move towards full cost recovery of fees over a period of three years. Most fees are substantially increased: import inspection fees by 229%, fees in relation to seed potatoes by 52%, licensing fees by 160%, fees for inspection of Egyptian potatoes by 184% and fees for plant passporting services by 55%. Further details are provided in the Explanatory Memorandum.

Full impact assessments of the effect that this instrument will have on the costs of business, in relation to each of the five types of fees covered by this instrument, are available using the following links:

http://www.ialibrary.bis.gov.uk/uploaded/DEFRA1352%20Final%20IA%20Plant%20Health%20Imports%20Inspection%20Fees.pdf

http://www.ialibrary.bis.gov.uk/uploaded/DEFRA1353%20Final%20IA%20Plant%20Health%20Licences.pdf

http://www.ialibrary.bis.gov.uk/uploaded/DEFRA1354%20Final%20IA%20Plant%20Passports.pdf

http://www.ialibrary.bis.gov.uk/uploaded/DEFRA1355%20Final%20IA%20Egypt%20Potato%20Imports.pdf

http://www.ialibrary.bis.gov.uk/uploaded/DEFRA1356%20Final%20IA%20Seed%20Potato%20Certification.pdf

The impact assessments are published with the Explanatory Memorandum alongside the instrument on www.legislation.gov.uk.