Agricultural Product Standards Act, 1990 (Act No. 119 of 1990)

Regulations

Regulations relating to the Grading, Packing and Marking of Maize intended for sale in the Republic of South Africa

1. Definitions

Purchase

In these regulations any word or expression to which a meaning has been assigned in the Act shall have that meaning and, unless the context otherwise indicates—

"animal filth"

means all animal matter which may contaminate the maize, such as dead rodents, dead birds including hair, dung and/or feathers:

"bag"

means a bag manufactured from—

(a)	jute or phormium or a mix1ure of jute and phormium; or

(b)	polypropylene that complies with SABS specification CKS632;

"bulk container"

means any vehicle or container in which bulk maize is stored or transported;

"consignment"

means—

(a)	a quantity of maize of the same class, which belongs to the same owner, delivered at any one time under cover of the same consignment note, delivery note or receipt note, or delivered by the same vehicle or bulk container, or loaded from the same bin of a grain elevator or from a ship's hold; or

(b)	in the case where a quantity referred to in paragraph (a), is subdivided into different grades, each such quantity of each of the different grades;

"coffee-stained maize kernels"

means maize kernels with a shiny brown colour that occurs anywhere on the pericarp of the maize kernel;

"container"

means a bag or a bulk container;

"defective maize kernels"

means maize kernels and pieces of maize kernels that:

(a)	are shrivelled, obviously immature, fungi infected, heat damaged and frost damaged;

(b)	have sprouted, including kernels of which the shoot (plumule) in the germ is visibly discoloured;

(c)	have cavities in the germ or endosperm caused by insects or rodents;

(d)	are visibly soiled (smeared} or contaminated by smut, fire, soil, smoke or coal-dust;

(e)	all matter that can pass through the 6,35 mm round-hole sieve;

(f)	are of subspecies other than Zea mays indentata or Zea mays indurata.

Provided that—

(i)	irregularity of shape and size of maize kernels shall not affect the grading thereof;

(ii)	chipped or cracked maize kernels or pieces of maize kernels which are in a sound condition, and which appear in a sample of maize, but which do not pass through a 6,35 mm round-hole sieve,shall not be regarded as defective maize kernels under these regulations.

(iii)

oxidation-stained maize kernels, coffee-stained maize kernels, pinked maize kernels, water damaged kernels and discoloured maize kernels shall not be considered as defective.

"discoloured maize kernels"

means maize kernels that are as a result of environmental conditions discoloured on both sides of the kernel, excluding,oxidation-stained maize kernels, coffee-stained maize kernels and pinked maize kernels;

"foreign matter"

means all matter other than maize, excluding, animal filth,coal,glass, metal, plastic, and stones;

"frost damaged kernels"

means maize kernels that are damaged by frost characterized by two or more of the following:

(a)	a dull brown discoloration from the connecting tip and/or;

(b)	an underdeveloped endosperm in relation to the germ; and/or

(c)	the pericarp is blistered or flaked.

"fungi infected kernels"

means maize of which the kernels or pieces of kernels are visibly infected with fungi and has corresponding meaning with mould infected kernels:

(a)	are characterised by black, blue, green, yellow or white fungi growth anywhere on the kernel, or are characterised by fungi growth underneath the bran layer of the kernel;

(b)	are infected by ear-rot and are characterised by red, pink, or brown discolorations. The kernels are partially to completely infected.

"heat damaged kernels"

means kernels that are as a result of external heat or internal fermentation affected with excess moisture and have at least one of the following characteristics:

(a)	Kernels or pieces of kernels that are amber, brown, dark brown or black discoloured.

(b)	Kernels of which the germ has dark-brown to black discoloration.

"insect"

in relation to maize, means any live insect which is injurious to stored grain, irrespective of the stage of development of the insect;

"maize"

means the threshed kernels or pieces of kernels of the plants of Zea mays indurata and Zea mays indentata or one or more crossings of the two types;

"other colour maize kernels"

in relation to—

(a)	white maize, means maize kernels or pieces of maize kernels of which the endosperm as a result of genetic (characteristics) composition have another colour than white, excluding pinked maize kernels;

(b)	yellow maize, means maize kernels or pieces of maize kernels of which the endosperm as a result of genetic (characteristics) composition have another colour than yellow;

"oxidation-stained maize kernels"

means maize kernels with a shiny light brown colour on the pericarp that are discoloured from the crown and not from the tip cap;

"pinked maize kernels"

means kernels and pieces of kernels of white maize of which the pericarp or part thereof is shaded red or pink in colour;

"poisonous seeds"

means seeds or part of seeds of plant species that may in terms of the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act, 1972 (Act No. 54 of 1972) represent a hazard to human or animal health when consumed, including seeds of Argemone mexicana, Convolvulus spp., Crotalaria spp., Datura spp., lpomoea spp. Lolium temulentum, Ricinus communis or Xanthium spp.;

"shrivelled or obviously immature maize kernels"

means maize kernels with a thin and shrunken appearance;

"sprouted maize kernels"

means maize kernels which have sprouted so far that developing roots and/or sprouts are clearly visible, or the shoot (plumule) in the germ is visibly discoloured;

"the Act"

means the Agricultural Product Standards Act, 1990 (Act No. 119 of 1990);

"the 6,35 mm round-hole sieve"

(± 0,05mm) means a sieve

(a)	with a flat metal sheet bottom of 1,0 mm thickness perforated with round holes of 6,35 mm(±0,05mm) in diameter that are arranged with the centres of the holes at the points of intersection of an equilateral triangular grid with a pitch of 8 mm;

(b)	of which the upper surface of the bottom is smooth;

(c)	the frame of which is at least 40 mm high;

(d)	with the inner width of at least 200 mm and the inner length of at least 300 mm, or,in the case of a circular sieve, the inner diameter of at least 278 mm; and

(e)	with a minimum area of 600cm2 and a maximum of 750cm2

(f)	that fits onto a tray with a solid bottom and must be at least 20mm above the bottom of the tray; and

"water damaged maize kernels"

means maize kernels with a light yellow shine from the tip cap in a band around the maize kernel.