Summary
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs is carrying out engagement with stakeholders within the industrial hemp sector to seek views on key changes being made through amendment legislation, the Hemp (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026. Amendments are required to current domestic legislation, The Hemp (Third Country Import) Regulations 2002 on a Northern Ireland basis as a result of updated EU rules on hemp imports from third countries which are directly applicable in Northern Ireland.
Documents
- The Hemp (Amendment) Regulations 2026 ~ Stakeholder Engagement Letter
- Annex A - Consultation and Policy Document for The Hemp (Amendment) Regulations 2026
- DRAFT - RNIA The Hemp (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026
- DRAFT - S75 Screening -The Hemp (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026
- DRAFT - The Hemp (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026 - Regulatory Impact Assessment SCREEN
Consultation description
In December 2023, the European Commission issued a notice clarifying that it followed that the repeal of Regulation 1307/2013 and adoption of Regulation 2021/2115 resulted in the maximum allowed THC levels for imports of raw true hemp and seeds of varieties of hemp for sowing to increase from 0.2% to 0.3% from 1 January 2023
EU hemp legislation relating to third country imports are directly applicable in Northern Ireland under Annex 2 of the Windsor Framework. As the EU regulations have been updated, The Hemp (Third Country Import) Regulations 2002, require updating amendments.
The Department is seeking any stakeholder views on the key changes that the draft amendments will introduce to the domestic regulations. These changes include increasing the maximum THC level for third country imports of hemp and hemp seeds from 0.2% to 0.3%. All proposed changes are outlined in the policy document at Annex A. The proposed regulations will not represent a change in the underlying policy and will maintain the status quo as far as possible.
Ways to respond
Consultation pending — details on ways to respond will be provided when the consultation has opened.