S.L. 433.13 Art. 9Conditions to be satisfied by suppliers.

(1) The suppliers shall take all the necessary measures to guarantee compliance with the standards laid down in these regulations at all stages of the production and marketing of vegetable propagation and planting material.

(2) (a) For the purposes of subregulation (1), the said suppliers shall either carry out themselves, or have carried out by an accredited supplier or the responsible official body, checks based on the following principles:

(i) identification of critical points in their production process on the basis of the production methods used;

(ii) establishment and implementation of methods for monitoring and checking the critical points referred to in subparagraph (i);

(iii) sample collection for analysis in a laboratory accredited by the responsible official body for the purpose of checking compliance with the standards established by these regulations; and

(iv) keeping a written record or a record registered in an indelible fashion of the data referred to in subparagraphs (i), (ii) and (iii), as well as records on the production and marketing of propagation and planting material, to be held at the disposal of the responsible official body. These documents and records shall be kept for a period of at least one year.

(b) However, suppliers whose activity in this connection is confined merely to the distribution of vegetable propagation and planting material produced and packaged on premises other than their own, shall be required only to keep a written record or a record registered in an indelible fashion of the buying and selling and, or delivery of such products.

(c) This subregulation shall not apply to suppliers whose activity in this connection is confined to the supply of small quantities of vegetable propagation and planting material to non-professional final consumers.

(3) If the result of their own checks or any information at the disposal of the suppliers referred to in subregulation (1) reveals the presence of one or more harmful organisms referred to in the Act or in quantities greater than those normally allowed for in order to meet the standards, or of those specified in the relevant schedules established pursuant to regulation 7, the suppliers shall immediately report this to the responsible official body and shall take the measures indicated by the responsible official body or any other measures necessary to reduce the risk of such harmful organisms from spreading. The supplier shall keep records of all occurrences of harmful organisms on his premises and of all measures taken in relation to such occurrences.

(4) Detailed rules for the application of subregulation (2)(b) shall be established by the responsible official body.