Simplified procedures for conservation and amateur varieties

In the Netherlands, variety testing and registration takes place under the responsibility of the Netherlands Inspection Service for Horticulture (Naktuinbouw). Following the relevant EU Directives 2008/62 (for agricultural crops) and 2009/145 (for vegetables), the application procedure for listing and marketing landraces, varieties naturally adapted to local or regional conditions, and varieties developed for growing under specific conditions with no intrinsic value for commercial crop production (‘conservation’ and ‘amateur’ varieties) differs from those for formal varieties. Conservation and amateur varieties do not have to comply with the general requirements for uniformity and stability (DUS criteria), or Value for Cultivation and Use (VCU). One reason is that the costs for a DUS and/or VCU test might be higher than the profit that can be made with seed marketing. Therefore, the Dutch Government decided to accept only varieties for registration that are marketed. If the annual turnover is expected to be less than €500, a variety does not need to be listed at all. For all other conservation and amateur varieties, a simplified testing system has been developed.