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BSPB
is increasing its farm-saved seed resources to ensure
new arrangements for declaring older varieties are
effective in tackling royalty evasion. From this autumn,
all use of previously ‘zero-rated’ varieties (such as
Riband and Hereward winter wheat) will become eligible
for farm-saved seed payment and must be declared to BSPB.
However, these varieties will attract a 100% instant
refund applied by the seed processor or BSPB.
In practice, no actual payment will change hands, but
the refund system will be subject to random audit by
BSPB to verify genuine use of the declared variety.
The additional resources, including the appointment of a
new farm-saved seed investigator, mean that at least one
in four growers declaring previously zero-rated
varieties, directly to BSPB or through their processor,
will be asked for proof of genuine use. Verification
will be via the original certified seed invoice, seed
merchant transactions, seed sample or field inspection.
BSPB chairman Thomas Jolliffe said the main objective of
the new arrangements, agreed earlier this year by plant
breeders and the farming unions, was to discourage the
false declaration of royalty-bearing varieties as
zero-rated.
‘Through the FAIR PLAY campaign, plant breeders and the
farming unions are working together to safeguard future
plant breeding advances by tackling the gap in unpaid
royalties on farm-saved seed.
‘Farmers depend on new varieties for improved yields,
quality and disease resistance. That requires continued
investment in UK-based breeding, tailored to our
conditions and our markets.
‘These new arrangements are in the spirit of FAIR PLAY,
allowing genuine use of older varieties to continue free
of charge, but increasing the risk of detection for
those who break the rules,’ said Dr Jolliffe.
Contact:
Penny Maplestone,
Tel: 01353 653200
Chief Executive, BSPB
E-mail: penny@ bspb.co.uk
Issued by:
Daniel Pearsall
Tel: 01487 831425
Front Foot Communications Ltd
Email:daniel.pearsall@frontfoot.uk.com
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