15. Interpretation

Official English translation. The Sinhala text prevails. Open the official Sinhala text, official PDF on documents.gov.lk

(1)

In this Act unless the context otherwise requires-

“genetically modified” means an organism derived from any activity which has involved or resulted in the formation or derivation of new combinations of heritable material by the insertion of nucleic acid molecules, produced by whatever means outside the cell, into any virus, bacterial plasmid, or other vector system so as to allow their incorporation into a host organism in which they do not naturally occur but in which they are capable of continued propagation;

“Importer” means-

(a)

any person who, whether as consignor, consignee, agent, broker, or otherwise, is in possession of, or in any way entitled to, the custody or control of any plant, plant product or organism;

(b)

any person by whose act any plant, plant product or organism has been landed in or entered into Sri Lanka;

“living modified” means an organism derived or produced by altering or modifying the genetic material of an organism through the use of biological techniques such as recombinant DNA technology, molecular biology, cell or tissue culture, cell fusion, artificial mutagenesis, or through the use of a vector system such as virus, phage, plasmid but not through the ways that occur naturally by mating, mutation or recombination processes;

“Minister” means the minister in charge of the subject of

Agriculture;

“Occupier” in relation to any premises includes the proprietor, lessee, superintendent, manager, captain of a ship or vessel or other person in actual charge of such premises;

“Organism” included any active, infective, or dormant stage of life form of an entity characterised as living, including plants, bacteria, algae, fungi, phytoplasma, mycoplasms, mycoplasma-like entities, protozoa, vertebrate and invertebrate animals, as well as entities such as viruses, viroids, plasmids, phages or any living entity, related thereto, whether natural, genetically modified, living modified, or otherwise;

“Owner” means the holder or possessor of any plant, plant product or organism;

“pest” means any biotic agent capable of causing injury or damage or loss to plants or plant products and shall include weeds;

“plant” means all members of the plant Kingdom, whether living or dead, or any part or parts thereof and includes seeds;

“plant product” means all unprocessed material of plant origin including grain and include those processed products of plant origin that by their nature or by reason of their processing, may create a risk for the spread of pests;

“premises” includes any land, water reservior, building, establishment, stores, freight, container, vehicle, vessel, aircraft, or conveyance wholly or partly used for keeping, storing, transporting, or growing plants or for keeping, storing, or transporting plant products;

“quarantine pest” means a pest of potential economic or environmental importance to any area within Sri

Lanka and not yet present there, or present but not widely distributed and being officially controlled;

“Secretary’ means the Secretary of the Ministry of the

Minister in charge of the subject of Agriculture; and

“weed” means a plant which is competitive, persistent, pernicious and interfering with man and his activities.

(2)

Any reference in this Act or regulations made thereunder to a scientific name of any organism shall be construed as a reference to all synonyms used for that particular organism.

(3)

Any reference in this Act and regulations made thereunder to a particular pest shall be construed as a reference to that pest in any stage of its existence.