New framework aims to modernise EU seed legislation while preserving core quality and market access principles.
Euroseeds welcomes the political agreement reached late Monday night by the Council of the EU and the European Parliament on the revision and simplification of EU rules for plant reproductive material (PRM).
More than 12 years after an initial attempt to consolidate the various EU Seed Marketing Directives into a single regulation failed, the institutions have agreed on a new framework that will provide greater legal clarity and coherence for both operators and public authorities. The agreement will also modernise the rules, enabling breeders and producers to benefit from the latest innovations, technologies and digitalisation.
The new seed law will introduce derogations from specific rules for certain operators, materials and markets. These measures are intended to facilitate market access and allow for more diverse products, particularly for non-professional users, conservation purposes or specific local needs.
Preserving the EU’s Seed Marketing System
The agreement preserves the long-standing and successful system for placing plant reproductive products on the EU market. This includes the compulsory identification of seed products, the registration of new varieties, performance assessments for new varieties and seed quality requirements differentiated by species.
Core obligations for all operators to comply with the EU’s plant health legislation, and for all seed products to meet relevant requirements, maintain consistency across the EU’s overall policy approach to plants and seeds, according to a Euroseeds statement.
Modernising Plant Breeding and Seed Legislation
“This agreement is another important element of the modernisation of plant breeding and seed-related legislation in the EU,” said Garlich von Essen, Secretary General and CEO of Euroseeds. “It is a conservative approach in the true meaning of the word: it maintains the successful and internationally aligned principles of the established system. But it modernises processes and procedures, drives digitalisation, and provides more options for a stronger involvement of operators to speed up product release and cut costs for companies and authorities alike.”
Von Essen specifically thanked European Parliament rapporteur Herbert Dorfmann and the Cypriot presidency for steering the trilogue discussions towards a conclusion.
“Many were sceptical that an agreement could be achieved in just these few months. But both Herbert Dorfmann and his team and the Cypriot presidency injected a lot of positive energy and strong commitment into the negotiations. And got the necessary support from EP and Member States in the end.”
Balancing Flexibility and Quality Assurance
While many of the legislation’s complex technical elements received little public attention, some groups strongly criticized the proposal, arguing that it remained too rigid and restrictive for farmers or certain conservation groups.
“Euroseeds and COPA-COGECA, so Europe’s breeders and farmers, were pretty aligned on the need to ensure the identity and quality of all seed, for all users. The new derogations for specific operators, material and markets respond to the political demand for a more flexibility framework; but they also recognise the need for some minimum quality assurance and oversight in a Common Market. The agreement strikes a good balance between the overarching objective of safeguarding seed quality and security on the one hand and the wish to provide for lighter and dedicated rules for niches on the other.”
Next Steps
Once fully adopted and supplemented by delegated and implementing acts, the revised framework will begin applying four years after the new regulation enters into force.
