Revision of regulations on plant variety release and the marketing of seed and seed potatoes

Until 2004, the Norwegian seed regulation did not limit farmers' rights to save, use, exchange and sell farm-saved seeds to neighbors. However, as a member of the European Economic Area (EEA), Norway had to revise its seed regulations to comply with regulations of the European Union (EU); the revised regulation prohibited farmers to give away or exchange seeds. This situation raised concerns of farmers’, gardeners’ and civil society organizations as well as researchers in Norway and the EU. In 2008, the EU adopted a directive on conservation varieties, which entered into force in 2009. To comply with this new directive, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority proposed changes to three regulations, following an open dialogue with farmers’ organizations, other relevant organizations and researchers: the Regulation on testing and approving of plant varieties, the Regulation on seeds and the Regulation on seed potatoes. The purpose of these revisions, endorsed by the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food in 2010, was to better accommodate the use of a wider diversity of plant varieties with other objectives, like ensuring seed quality and health standards. "Contributing to in situ conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA" was added to the objectives of the three seed regulations.