Three charging options have been put forward by the Scottish government in a consultation on how the cost of extra soil sampling for the new EU potato cyst nematode directive will be met.

Option A is for an average charge per hectare, with the Scottish government estimating a fee of £12.26/ha in 2010.

The method would be simple for growers to calculate what fee they would be charged, based on the number of hectares submitted for sampling, the consultation document says.

But it provides no benefit for growers who maintain land for seed free of PCN or who submit larger units for testing, both of which reduce the sampling rate, it points out.

The fee in this option would also vary from year-to-year, as the average cost/ha will change according to the number of hectares tested, the size of sampled units and the sampling rate.

The second option, which is favoured by the government, is an average charge per 400ml of soil. The directive has a standard sampling rate of 1500ml/ha of soil, and a reduced sampling rate of 400ml/ha for fields that qualify.

Under this option the fees charged would reflect the decisions growers make about the management of their land. Growers would pay less for testing of land with a history of PCN freedom or where appropriate rotations are used to limit PCN populations, and for those who choose to have land tested in larger units.

“This would promote good practice, and also promote choices that reduce the total amount of soil to be tested, which is likely to improve response times,” the consultation suggests.

Working out how much growers would pay under the option would be more tricky, it notes. “A ready reckoner would be provided to assist growers.”

But it estimates the fee would be £13.81 per sample for 2010. A 11ha field, sampled at the standard rate, which means the first 8ha are sampled at 1500ml/ha and the remaining 3ha at 400ml/ha, would cost £41.43/ha. The same field, if eligible for a reduced rate regime, would cost £10.04/ha.

A hybrid option would be two levels of fees on an average per hectare basis, one for sampling at the standard rate and one for the lower rate. “This would simplify calculation of fees, and would provide a benefit for growers who maintain land free of PCN,” the consultation says.

“But it would not provide any incentive to have land tested in larger units and would have the same drawback as option A in terms of variation from year-to-year.”

It estimates the cost to growers in 2010 would be £50.39/ha at the standard rate and £10.35/ha for the reduced rate.

A new PCR test to detect PCN is being introduced by testing body Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) to increase capacity and reduce costs. Currently it only gives a yes or no result, although further work is being carried out for it to determine the number of PCN in the sample.

The consultation runs until the end of March 2010.

PCN charging

-Average charge/ha £12.26

-Average charge/400ml soil £13.81/sample; £41.43/ha standard rate & £10.04/ha reduced rate

-Banded charges/ha £50.39 standard rate & £10.35 reduced rate

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