EU Council sets mandate to overhaul plant reproductive rules

The Council of the European Union has agreed on a negotiating mandate with the European Parliament for a new, single regulation governing the production and marketing of plant reproductive material (PRM) across the EU.

• New PRM regulation will replace ten sector-specific directives with a single harmonised framework, aiming to increase agrobiodiversity, support niche and locally adapted varieties, enable modern breeding and biomolecular techniques, reduce administrative burden via digital procedures, and ensure high-quality PRM adapted to climate change, pests and diseases, with mandatory VSCU examinations for agricultural species (except turf grasses), potatoes and vine.
• The Council’s text introduces lighter rules for conservation and organic material, refines derogations and seed exchanges (including for non-professional use) with stronger safeguards and a five-year review clause, excludes variety registration from official controls, and aligns PRM rules with EU plant health and official controls legislation, with interinstitutional negotiations expected to start early next year following the Commission’s July 2023 proposal.