The business community, united by the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, Ukrainian Agribusiness Club, and Ukrainian Seed Partnership Association, supports the adoption of Draft Law #3680-d amending Laws of Ukraine “On Plant Variety Rights Protection” and “On Seeds and Planting Material” (Draft Law #3680-d) and calls on Members of Parliament to vote for adopting it in the second reading.
The Draft Law #3680-d aims to harmonize national legislation with the relevant EU regulations in the part of plant varieties registration and seed certification.
The Draft Law #3680-d contains amendments that will have a positive impact on seeds industry as they:
- improve the process of state registration of plant varieties in Ukraine and simplify the procedure of entering a variety into the State Register of Plant Varieties suitable for distribution in Ukraine;
- regulate the registration and certification of the parent components of hybrids. In particular, it is enshrined that the parent components must undergo a qualification examination only for distinctiveness, homogeneity, and stability, and their certification can be carried out on the basis of information not only contained in the Register of Varieties but also in the Register of Patents for Plant Varieties;
- regulate 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. This amendment will contribute to the strengthening of the activities of law enforcement agencies in the fight against offenses related to the counterfeiting of seeds;
- regulate 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.
The business community supports the soonest adoption of the Draft Law #3680-d and calls upon the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to adopt it in the second reading.
