Not so long ago, the domestic mass media stirred the news: summer residents and amateur gardeners will receive a ban on growing potatoes in Russia from seeds harvested earlier with their own hands. The media reported that now gardeners will have to purchase exclusively certified planting material, the documents for which can be checked at any time by a special commission, and in the absence of papers, the summer resident can be fined. But is it really so?
Ban on growing potatoes in Russia: what is the essence of the restrictions
Ban on growing potatoes in Russia will result in fines
Information about amending Article 10.12 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation and the peculiarities of applying its new provisions caused a stormy resonance among the population. In accordance with the innovations, citizens are prohibited from growing potatoes and other vegetables, as well as fruits and berries from sowing raw materials, independently harvested from last year's harvest, at their own dachas. However, the law banning potato planting does not apply to everyone.
The reason for the ban is justified by the emergence of a threat of contamination of the soil with various viruses that may contain unhealthy seeds, which is potentially dangerous for nearby allotments. Environmental safety can only be guaranteed by certified planting raw materials, confirmed by relevant documents. The absence of such paper, according to the law prohibiting planting potatoes with one's own seeds, is regarded as an administrative violation punishable by a fine of 300 to 500 rubles.
What is the reason for the unrest of summer residents and villagers
Potatoes for planting from amateur gardeners are homemade, not purchased
Legislative innovations seriously worried Russian summer residents and gardeners, because the use of available seed is a common practice for most of them, which allows you to significantly save on the annual purchase of new raw materials and delivery to their summer cottages. Banning the planting of potatoes from their stocks would cause many to panic. Under the new rules, such actions entail massive sanctions.
The enforcement of these regulatory innovations casts doubt on the question of the advisability of planting the most popular vegetable crop for a summer resident who owns a small plot.
Growing potatoes for personal needs and for commercial purposes: clarifications of the Rosselkhoznadzor
Growing potatoes for personal use will not entail administrative penalties
In view of the massive excitement caused by the amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, Rosselkhoznadzor officials commented on the amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation and somewhat clarified the procedure for their application.
It is still possible for Russians to grow potato crops. Legislative innovations regarding the use of exclusively certified seeds do not apply to summer residents and gardeners who plant agricultural products for personal consumer needs. Thus, private summer residents and rural residents are not threatened with fines for lack of documents for planting material.
Somewhat different norms of liability are provided for those land owners who grow potato crops for commercial purposes, that is, sell products for sale. In accordance with the explanations to Article 10.12 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, the sellers of the harvest in the food market are obliged to use only those seeds that have passed environmental certification, as evidenced by the relevant documents. Summer residents selling self-grown products are required to submit documents for planting raw materials at the request of the inspection authorities. In the absence of such papers, the violator will face penalties.
Thus, the application of new regulatory amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation will in no way affect the procedure for the cultivation of agricultural crops by ordinary summer residents and gardeners. In turn, the new law obliges the sellers of potatoes and other vegetable crops to monitor the compliance of the grown products with all environmental standards.
Pavel 
Nadezhda Tsygvintseva 
J. Ofanarelov
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