This Law provides for the harmonisation of Cyprus legislation with European Union Council Directive 2000/29/EC on measures against the introduction into the Community of organisms harmful to plants or plant products and against their spread within the Community, in its last amended version. The provisions of this Law concern: measures of protection against the importation from European Union or third countries of organisms harmful to plants and plant products; measures against the spread, within the European Union, of harmful organisms connected with the movement of plants, plant products and other related objects; the issuance of the model of phytosanitary certificates and phytosanitary re-export certificates; measures to strengthen cooperation between the Republic, other member States and the Commission on matter related to the object of the Law; wood and wood products in form of small pieces of wood chips, sawdust, waste or wood chips, materials for securing ships, packaging material for the transport of objects of all kinds, as long as there is a phytosanitary risk. The Law specifies and defines the following terms: movement and transport of products between countries; agricultural facilities and premises where plants, plant products, or other objects subject to phytosanitary control, are produced or stored; land cultivated; harmful organisms, as any species, strain or biotype of plant, animal or pathogen which is harmful to plants or plant products; seeds; protected areas, as the zones where ecological conditions would favour the spread of certain harmful organisms, but there are not endemic; plant quarantine station; various species of plants, and plant products, including vegetables for human consumption; phytosanitary passport.
Part II of the Law focuses on administrative provisions and identifies the Department of Agriculture of the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, as the competent authority, empowered to issue certificates, appoint inspectors, ensure the safe collection and destruction of waste plant materials. Part III concerns: prohibition of importation and trafficking of harmful organisms, on the basis of relevant phytosanitary risk analysis; exempts for testing or for scientific purposes; prohibition of importing and trading plants and plant products; special requirements for importing plants and plant products, intended as human food or for consumption during transport. Part IV concerns performance of official phytosanitary controls and conduct of official audits; issuance of phytosanitary passport; application of official measures, including permission to move plants to protected zones or to industrial processing facilities; official controls; general provisions and controls on import from third countries; admission process and official measures; special cases; phytosanitary fees and certificates; notification of occurrence of a harmful organism; powers of committee of experts; financial contribution and procedures related to; pest control and measures, including: disinfection, disinfestation, sterilisation, cleaning or any other treatment on plant products to eradicate pests, prohibition or restriction of the use of cultivated and arable lands, resulting linked to the introduced pest. Part V covers miscellaneous provisions, including entry points; quarantine stations and power to issue ordinances; right to compensation. Part VI includes: Ministerial power to issue Regulations; offences and penalties; imposition of administrative sanctions.