The new law allows for a simplified procedure for the State registration of conventional plant varieties already registered in EU and USA.
On June 10, 2023, a new law to simplify the registration of new plant varieties came into force. The full title is the Law of Ukraine “On the introduction of amendments to some legislative acts of Ukraine on bringing the legislation in the field of protection of rights to plant varieties and seed production and nurseries into compliance with the provisions of the legislation of the European Union” Law in Ukrainian In English
The new law allows for a simplified procedure for the State registration of conventional plant varieties already registered in EU and USA. It means skipping a two-year-long compliance procedure, which includes field tests for researching the variety, uniformity, and stability of a plant variety submitted for state registration, which is paid for by a crop variety owner and performed by local accredited enterprises.
From now on, the competent authority in Ukraine is tasked with monitoring and receiving data from the EU database of registered plant varieties and from the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants. If a plant variety that has already been submitted for registration is found in one of these registries, the competent authority has 15 days to consider the application and register this plant variety or provide arguments why it cannot be registered.
This development will increase competition in the Ukrainian seed market and will provide wider range of quality seed materials to the local farmers in Ukraine. In practical terms, it significantly reduces the “entry fee” (financial resources and time delay) for a seed company to bring its plant varieties previously registered in EU and USA to the local market. Potentially, it might pave the way for small and medium seed supplying companies to sell their products to Ukraine.
Although the simplification of the procedures is an important development, it is still wise to establish contact with a local seed distributor in order to prediscuss and prepare all the details before launching the actual registration process and subsequent import of seeds.
Beeld: © #UAgroNL