Those importing plants for planting and other commodities using IPAFFS will be asked some additional questions during their application:
For plants for planting:
1) Is the commodity a woody plant?
2) Are the plants for direct retail sale?
3) Are the plants intended for use as indoor plants?
For seeds:
1) Are the seeds intended for trial or testing purposes?
For Bulbs:
Whether the plants are for direct retail sale, commercial flower production (finished) or for propagation
The following guidance can be used to help answer these questions.
What is a woody plant?
Within GB legislation a woody plant is defined as:
“Woody plants” means plants which have a woody or partly woody stem, and includes all trees, forest reproductive material (other than seed), shrubs and palms, and those vines and perennial herbs with woody or partly woody stems; and for this purpose “perennial herbs” means herbs for which the average life exceeds two years.”
What do we mean by ‘are the plants for direct retail sale’?
Within our legislation plants for direct retail sale are Intended for final users, specifically ”means intended, by evidence from the packaging, labelling or by other means, for direct supply to final users”.
The intended use of a plant has a significant impact on the biosecurity risk it poses, in so far as the likelihood of introducing (= entry + establishment) a pest or disease. Plants intended for further propagation, growing on, or multiplying on a commercial scale provide greater potential for pests and diseases, where present, to spread and multiply, often with a ready and dense stock of viable hosts in close proximity. Those intended for final users pose a relatively lower biosecurity risk, with reduced potential for pest and disease transfer on a large scale.
The UK Plant Health Service continuously reviews new, emerging and changing biosecurity threats, to ensure our high plant health status is maintained. The frequency of checks which applies to different plant species, intended for different purposes, from different origins is adjusted over time in line with this risk-management approach.
In many cases it is self-evident whether or not a plant is intended for direct retail sale for the final user, but there are some circumstances where it isn’t so clear. To help, we have provided some generic scenarios to illustrate whether plants should be categorised as intended for the final user, together with some category specific cases where, by exception, particular plants may be classified as such. If you remain unclear, please contact your local plant health inspector who will be to advise you further, or you can contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s helpdesk at planthealth.info@apha.gov.uk or phone 0300 1000 313 (for England and Wales), or for Scotland please contact the Horticulture and Marketing Unit (HMU) hort.marketing@gov.scot who will continue to undertake all physical inspections in Scotland.
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Scenario |
Description |
Plants for direct sale intended for final user? |
|
1. |
Plug bedding plants that are imported by a commercial nursery and are immediately re-potted before sale to final consumers (either directly, or via another operator/business) |
Yes |
|
2. |
Plug bedding plants that are imported by a commercial nursery, maintained in their current state and are not grown on. Sold on to private individuals by mail order (either directly, or via another operator/business) |
Yes |
|
3. |
Plants (including aquatics) and plant products (e.g. seed) which are imported to a GB business and immediately packaged for sale to final consumers (e.g. seed imported in bulk and immediately separated in small packets ready for sale to final users). This applies to both direct and indirect (i.e. via another operator/business) supply to the final user |
Yes |
|
4. |
Plants sold on the internet to final users via distance contracts |
Yes |
|
5. |
Young plants/cuttings imported by a commercial nursery, to retain on site for growing on to a different state, before sale to other businesses or final consumers |
No |
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6. |
Plug plants intended for commercial crop production (e.g. tomato plants to be planted on for production of tomato fruit) |
No |
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7. |
Trees of any size, imported to plant on at end-customer’s premises, e.g. building site or landscaping project. This includes bare-rooted trees which are potted on to sustain them before moving to the customer’s premises. |
No |
|
8. |
Seed imported and intended for production of a crop which is destined for marketing or re-planting (i.e. farm saved seed) |
No |
|
9. |
Plants such as fruit trees imported for planting into an orchard for fruit production |
No |
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10. |
Plants sold on the internet to commercial growers who will use the plants to produce a crop |
No |
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11. |
Plants (including aquatics) and plant products (e.g. seed) which are imported to a GB business and immediately packaged for sale to final consumers (e.g. seed imported in bulk and immediately separated in small packets ready for sale to final users). This applies to both direct and indirect (i.e. via another operator/business) supply to the final user. |
Yes |
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Scenarios specific to a category of plant |
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12. |
Seed potatoes: intended for any type of commercial production/propagation, to produce seed potatoes, ware potatoes, farm saved seed |
No |
What is an indoor plant?
Within GB legislation an indoor plant is defined as:
Indoor plants ” means plants which appear from their packaging, labelling or by other means to be intended for direct supply to final users for indoor use or use in aquaria.”
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Scenario |
Description |
Are the plants indoor plants? |
|
1. |
Aquatic plants for sale in a pet shop/garden centre
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Yes |
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2. |
Plants displayed in a house, conservatory, or atrium
|
Yes – as long as the plants have been packaged and labelled in a way for final users
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3. |
Plants that are intended to be grown for their whole life in a domestic greenhouse (whether heated, or unheated) |
Yes – if it is clear from packaging/labelling that the plants are not intended for growing outdoors |
|
4. |
Plants of a genera/species which are suitable for growing outside in some situations, but are clearly packaged/labelled as for indoor use only (e.g. potted herbs, for kitchen use) |
Yes – but only if clearly packaged/labelled as such. If not, then such plants should not be regarded as for indoor use. |
|
5. |
Plants that are clearly packaged/labelled as houseplants, but which householders may choose to plant outside at a later stage (e.g. potted flowering bulbs) |
Yes – but only if clearly packaged/labelled as such. If not, then such plants should not be regarded as for indoor use.
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|
6. |
Plants that are going to be grown in a commercial greenhouse |
No – as they are not packaged in a way intended for direct supply to final users |
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7. |
Plants that are intended to be kept outside in summer, but may be brought inside in winter to protect from frost |
No – as they are not intended for indoor use |
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8. |
Plants that are produced/propagated in a greenhouse in their early life, for planting outside later |
No – as they are not intended for indoor use |
What is seed for trial or testing?
|
Scenario |
Description |
Are the seeds for trial or testing? |
|
1. |
Seed imported into GB for tests and trial purposes, that are not destined or eligible for further marketing, not intended to produce a crop which is destined for marketing and are destroyed after trials are completed. |
Yes |
Bulbs for direct retail sale, commercial flower production or for propagation?
|
Scenario |
Description |
Are the bulbs for direct retail sale, commercial flower production or for propagation? |
|
1. |
Imported and intended for the final user to commercially grow them on to produce cut flowers, with the bulbs then being destroyed. This applies to both direct and indirect (i.e. via another operator/business) supply to the final user. |
Yes |
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2. |
As above, but bulbs are used for multiplication (i.e. to produce further bulbs) |
No |
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3. |
Imported bulbs grown on, not for cut flowers, which are then supplied to a final user |
No |