The Scottish Government has signed the Seed (Fees) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2026, updating the statutory charges for seed certification, inspection and licensing. The instrument was made on 15 January 2026, laid before the Scottish Parliament on 19 January 2026, and takes effect on 1 July 2026. The changes replace the fee tables in the 2018 framework regulations and apply to applications and examinations from that date. The Regulations are signed by Rural Affairs Minister Jim Fairlie.
Two headline adjustments affect initial application charges per hectare. For crops intended to produce Pre‑basic or Basic Seed, the online application rate rises from £33.47 to £34.71, with the non‑online rate moving from £38.88 to £40.32. For Certified categories, the online rate increases from £4.82 to £5.00 and the non‑online rate from £5.59 to £5.80. These shifts amount to an uplift of around 3.7 percent and maintain a clear discount for online submissions. Previous rates are set out in the 2025 amendment to the 2018 Regulations. (legislation.gov.uk)
Late application charges also increase. Where an application misses the cut‑off for arranging official crop examination, the fee for a multiplication category rises to £104.83 for online submissions and £121.62 otherwise, up from £101.09 and £117.28. For a final generation category, the late fee moves to £40.74 online and £47.21 otherwise, from £39.29 and £45.53. The late‑fee structure and previous rates are detailed in the 2025 amendment. (legislation.gov.uk)
The scope of chargeable activities is unchanged: fees continue to cover official field examinations, further examinations for specific issues such as wild oats, isolation distance and lodged crops, authentication of sown seed lots, and post‑control follow‑up examinations where previous results were unsatisfactory. The 2018 Regulations define how these functions are delivered by licensed professionals or, where requested, by the Scottish Ministers, and require payment within one month of demand. (legislation.gov.uk)
Applicants should note that a reduced initial fee remains available where an application is withdrawn before arrangements are made for official examination. The 2018 framework also allows repayment of any excess initial fee already paid in those circumstances, a protection that continues under the substituted schedules. (legislation.gov.uk)
Schedule 2 of the 2018 Regulations is also replaced from 1 July 2026, updating fees linked to licensing and enforcement. This includes charges for making written representations or being heard, the annual fee for licensed seed testing stations, and per‑exam charges levied on those stations. As a reference point, the annual licence fee in 2025 was £2,030.74 and the per‑exam charge £10.35; the 2026 instrument supersedes those figures. (legislation.gov.uk)
Training and qualification fees for the seed system are retained in structure and refreshed in value. These cover cereal crop inspection courses and examinations, seed sampler tuition and re‑examinations, and analyst and laboratory management courses, including tetrazolium testing. The 2025 amendment set out the course‑by‑course model and per‑day charging approach that continues under the new schedules. (legislation.gov.uk)
For producers and merchants, the practical impact is predictable and budgetable. An 80‑hectare Basic Seed crop entered online would see the initial fee increase by £1.24 per hectare, adding £99.20 against last year’s rate. Certified category applications rise by £0.18 per hectare online. Avoiding late submission remains important: the gap between online and other channels persists and the late‑fee uplift compounds costs when windows are missed.
Administratively, the Regulations continue to distinguish between examinations by licensed crop inspectors and examinations carried out by the Scottish Ministers at an applicant’s request. Online application discounts remain embedded in the fee table and signal the Government’s ongoing preference for digital channels within the existing statutory framework set by the Seed (Fees) (Scotland) Regulations 2018. (legislation.gov.uk)
Legal authority is unchanged. The Scottish Ministers act under sections 16 and 36 of the Plant Varieties and Seeds Act 1964, with the relevant EU‑derived provisions saved following EU withdrawal. The fee schedules are replaced in full, ensuring continued cost recovery for official certification and oversight functions across Scotland’s seed system. The 2018 Regulations provide the framework; the 2025 and now 2026 amendments update the numeric rates. (legislation.gov.uk)