The Hops (Amendment) Regulations 2024 ~ Stakeholder Engagement LetterEU hops certification regulations and imports from third countries are both directly applicable in Northern Ireland under Annex 2 of the Windsor Framework and as a result EU legislation remains directly applicable in Northern Ireland. In December 2023, the European Commission published new regulations for the import of rice, cereal, sugar and hops from third countries in the Official Journal. In March 2024, the European Commission also published new delegated and implementing regulations for hops certification in the Official Journal. As a result, updates are required to the Hops Certification Regulations 1979 as it applies in Northern Ireland.
The draft Regulations seek to replicate the current hops regulations as far as possible, updating the enforcement powers to enable enforcement of the updated EU regulations. Changes are mostly technical in nature and are outlined in Annex B.
Comments on the draft Regulations, the draft Equality Screen, the draft Rural Needs Impact Assessment or on related issues as referred to above, can be sent to the address below.