The Official Controls (Extension of Transitional Periods) (Amendment) Regulations 2025

Made: 28th April 2025

Laid before Parliament: 29th April 2025

Coming into force in accordance with regulation 1(2)

In accordance with Article 3(2B)(b) of the Official Controls Regulation[^f00003], the Welsh Ministers, in relation to the application of these Regulations in relation to Wales, and the Scottish Ministers, in relation to the application of these Regulations in relation to Scotland, have consented to the making of these Regulations by the Secretary of State.

Citation, commencement and extent

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• (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Official Controls (Extension of Transitional Periods) (Amendment) Regulations 2025.

• (2) They come into force on 20th May 2025, with the exception of regulations 2 and 4, which come into force on 1st July 2025.

• (3) They extend to England and Wales and Scotland.

Amendment to Regulation (EU) 2017/625

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• (1) Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council on official controls and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products[^f00004] is amended as follows.

• (2) In Annex 6, paragraph 2 (interpretation), in the definition of “excepted goods”, in point (i), for “1st July 2025” substitute “31st January 2027”.

Amendment to the Official Controls (Extension of Transitional Periods) Regulations 2021

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• (1) The Official Controls (Extension of Transitional Periods) Regulations 2021[^f00005] are amended as follows.

• (2) In regulation 2 (end of the transitional staging period), for “1st July 2025” substitute “31st January 2027”.

Amendment to the Official Controls (Plant Health) (Frequency of Checks) Regulations 2022

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• (1) The Official Controls (Plant Health) (Frequency of Checks) Regulations 2022[^f00006] are amended as follows.

• (2) In regulation 3(1A) (determination of the frequency rate of physical checks and identity checks)—

• (a) in sub-paragraph (b), for “1st July 2025” substitute “31st January 2027”;

• (b) for sub-paragraph (c) substitute—

(c) are imported through a relevant port; and

Signed

Hayman of Ullock — Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State — Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs — 28th April 2025

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

These Regulations amend:

• Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council on official controls and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products (“the Official Controls Regulation”);

• the Official Controls (Extension of Transitional Periods) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/809) (“the 2021 Regulations”); and

• the Official Controls (Plant Health) (Frequency of Checks) Regulations 2022 (S.I. 2022/739) (“the 2022 Regulations”).

Regulation 2 amends the definition of “excepted goods” in Annex 6 to the Official Controls Regulation by extending to 31st January 2027, the period during which certain plants, plant products and other objects originating in an EU Member State, Liechtenstein or Switzerland and entering Great Britain through a relevant port are not subject to the requirement for determining the appropriate frequency of import checks in the 2022 Regulations. “Relevant port” is defined in Annex 6.

Regulation 3 amends the 2021 Regulations to change the end date of “the transitional staging period” from 1st July 2025 to 31st January 2027. “The transitional staging period” as defined in paragraph 2 of Annex 6 to the Official Controls Regulation ends on the date appointed by the appropriate authority. “The appropriate authority” is defined in Article 3(2A) and (2B) of the Official Controls Regulation.

Regulation 4 amends the 2022 Regulations to delay, to 31st January 2027, the application of the rules relating to frequency rates of physical and identity checks in respect of certain plants, plant products and other objects that originate in an EU Member State, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, entering Great Britain through a relevant port.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: EUR 2017/625. Annex 6 was inserted by S.I. 2020/1481 for the purposes of its application in relation to the entry of relevant goods from a relevant third country during the transitional staging period. The terms “relevant goods”, “relevant third country” and “the transitional staging period” are defined in paragraph 2 of Annex 6, as amended by S.I. 2022/1315 and 2023/959. Annex 6 was amended by S.I. 2021/429, 809, 2022/621, 1315, 2023/959, 1131, 2024/20, 541, 557, 1001 and 2025/102. It was also amended in relation to England and Wales by S.I. 2021/1096, 1443 and in relation to Scotland by S.S.I. 2021/342, 493 and 2022/90.

[^f00002]: Article 144(7) was substituted by S.I. 2020/1481.

[^f00003]: Article 3(2B) was inserted by S.I. 2020/1481.

[^f00004]: EUR 2017/625; relevant amending instruments are S.I. 2024/557, 1001.

[^f00005]: S.I. 2021/809; amended by S.I. 2022/621, 2024/20, 540, 1001. It was also amended in relation to England by S.I. 2022/1374, in relation to Scotland by S.S.I. 2021/297, 493, 2022/371, in relation to Wales by S.I. 2022/1317 (W. 266) and in relation to England and Wales by S.I. 2021/1096, 1443.

[^f00006]: S.I. 2022/739; relevant amending instruments are S.I. 2024/557, 1001.