Non-native species: code of practice

8. Notification of Invasive Non-native Animals and Plants

8.1 This Chapter explains the responsibility, which you may have, to notify authorities of the presence of an invasive animal or plant.

8.2 The 1981 Act ^[61] enables the Scottish Ministers to make an Order creating the requirement to notify the presence of any invasive non-native plant or animal. Any such Order may specify (amongst other things) the types of animals or plants that must be notified, the person (or type of person) who must make the notification, and in what circumstances ^[62] .

8.3 Having these notification requirements in place will provide early warning of a high-risk invasive non-native species arriving in Scotland (or escaping from captivity). Early notification should ensure that potential problems can be reacted to quickly and that control action is more likely to succeed.

8.4 The duty to notify can only be conferred on a person (or type of person) if the Scottish Ministers consider that the person has or should have knowledge of, or is likely to encounter, the invasive animal or plant to which the Order relates ^[63] .

8.5 This Code does not list the Orders - or the species listed in the Orders - made under the 1981 Act as these are subject to change. More information on the Orders created under the 1981 Act can be found on the Scottish Government website (see Chapter 10).

8.6 The notification of types of animal or plant may be required under other legislation, not just the 1981 Act. For example the citrus longhorn beetle, plum curculio weevil and corn earworm moth are notifiable under the Plant Health (Scotland) Order 2005.