Diolch, Llywydd. I move the motion. The Plant Health etc. (Fees) (Amendment) (Wales) (EU Exit) (No.2) Regulations 2022 amend the Plant Health etc. (Fees) (Wales) Regulations 2018. The 2018 regulations specify fees payable to the Welsh Ministers in relation to plant health services and, in particular, certain fees payable to the Welsh Ministers in relation to checks of imports of plants and plant products. These fees recover the cost of the work of the Animal and Plant Health Agency in Wales. The purpose of these checks is to protect Wales from the spread of harmful pests and diseases in plants in cultivation and in the wider environment.

The regulations introduce a short-term flat rate fee from 22 July for plants for planting, excluding dormant seeds and bulbs, and cuttings. This reflects the new frequency of checks in the Official Controls (Plant Health) (Frequency of Checks) Regulations 2022. Together, these regulations implement a new risk-targeted inspection regime for imported consignments of plants. The proposed amendments also reinstate fees for suspected infected samples taken on imports. This ensures that the Animal and Plant Health Agency can recover costs for laboratory testing to confirm the presence of a controlled plant pest. 

And finally, the regulations extend the movement assistance scheme until December 2023. The scheme supports traders moving consignments of plants, plant products or other goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. It will assist traders with advice and guidance to comply with new sanitary and phytosanitary rules. This amendment echoes changes being made elsewhere in the UK. It is critical to ensure businesses and importers of plants and plant products in Wales are not disadvantaged compared to their counterparts elsewhere in the UK. Diolch.