The Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2019

Explanatory note

Reproduced verbatim from the instrument as published on legislation.gov.uk (Crown Copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0). The note is prepared by the responsible government department and is not part of the instrument itself.

Regulations 3 to 8 amend the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) Regulations Northern Ireland 2003 ( S.R. 2003/167 ) (“the 2003 Regulations”). The 2003 Regulations implement Directive 2001/18/EC relating to the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms (“the 2001 Directive”). These amendments are necessary to implement Commission Directive (EU) 2018/350 amending Directive 2001/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the environmental risk assessment of genetically modified organisms (O.J. No L 67, 9.3.2018, p. 30) (“the 2018 Directive”).

Regulation 3 amends the definition of the 2001 Directive to reflect the amendments made to it by the 2018 Directive.

The amendments made by regulations 4 to 8 relate to the information to be contained in applications for consent to release genetically modified higher plants in relation to trials (amendments to regulation 11 of, and Schedule 1 to, the 2003 Regulations by regulations 4 and 6 respectively). They also make provision in relation to the information to be included in applications for consent to release genetically modified higher plants for commercial purposes (amendments to regulation 16 of, and Schedule 1A to, the 2003 Regulations by regulations 5 and 7 respectively). These changes are necessary owing to the substitution, by the 2018 Directive, of Annexes III and IIIB to the 2001 Directive.

Regulation 8 makes minor changes to Schedule 3 to the 2003 Regulations.

Regulation 9 amends the Genetically Modified Organisms (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 ( S.I. 2019/190 ) which prospectively amended Schedule 3 to the 2003 Regulations. The purpose of the amendment is to omit a provision in S.I. 2019/190 , the effect of which would have been to correct a deficiency which the new provision at paragraph 7 of Schedule 3 (introduced by regulation 8 in these Regulations) now eliminates.

Regulations 10 and 11 corrects minor drafting errors in S.R 2018/188

An explanatory memorandum and a transposition note have been laid before the Assembly which provides more detail on the way that these Regulations implement the 2018 Directive.

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