On November 16, 2022, the Parliament of Ukraine adopted in the second reading and as a whole, the Draft Law #3680-d amending Laws of Ukraine "On Plant Variety Rights Protection" and "On Seeds and Planting Material", dated July 16, 2021 (Draft Law). It harmonizes national legislation with the relevant EU regulations in the part of plant varieties registration and seeds certification.
The adopted Draft Law:
- improves the process of state registration of plant varieties in Ukraine and simplifies the procedure of entering a variety into the State Register of Plant Varieties suitable for distribution in Ukraine;
- regulates the registration and certification of the parent components of hybrids, and it is enshrined that their certification can be carried out based on information not only contained in the Register of Varieties but also in the Register of Patents for Plant Varieties;
- regulates issues on seeds counterfeit. Namely, the Draft Law defines the term "falsified seeds and/or planting material" and introduces the liability for distribution and production of such seeds;
- regulates the issue of testing of plant varieties from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) List of Plant Varieties that are not yet registered in Ukraine.
Experts of the Chamber Seeds Committee welcome the adoption of the Draft Law #3680-d.
