Strasbourg, France
September 13, 2021

The EU Parliament has adopted in the first reading the Proposal of the EU Commission to extend the term of Community Plant Variety Rights for the species asparagus and the species groups flower bulbs, woody small fruits, and woody ornamentals. The proposal to extend the duration of protection for woody plants from 25 to 30 years was approved by the overwhelming majority with 641 votes.

By voting for the proposal, the MEPs acknowledged the challenges and the high cost associated with breeding the species in question as well as the need to provide innovative breeders with more time to receive the return on their investments. The Resolution states: “To encourage investments in research and development for varieties of that species and those species groups, it is necessary to prolong the term of protection of plant variety rights and incentivise breeding activities to develop new varieties in order to meet the needs of farmers and consumers and to address the impact of climate change”

The protection term extension has long been requested by CIOPORA and the fellow breeder associations, such as Plantum and Euroseeds.

Website: http://www.ciopora.org

Published: September 13, 2021