National listing

National Listing is a legal requirement for new varieties of the main agricultural and vegetable species which seeks to ensure that no new variety can be marketed unless it is genuinely new and, for agricultural crops, an improvement on varieties already being sold.

A general information guide to National Listing is available. However, for full compliance with National List procedures you should always refer to the appropriate Regulations (see guide for details).

• Guide to National Listing of Varieties of Agricultural and Vegetable Crops in the UK (PDF 150 KB)

UK National Lists are lists of varieties of the main agricultural and vegetable species which are eligible for certification and marketing in the UK. To be added to a National List, a variety must be distinct, sufficiently uniform and stable (DUS) and, for agricultural crops, have satisfactory value for cultivation and use (VCU). There are additional criteria for genetically modified varieties and for material intended for use as a novel food or food ingredient as defined in EU Council Regulation 258/97. You should refer to the above guide for more information.

DUS tests and VCU trials are carried out by various National Test Centres on behalf of National Authorities over, on average, a two year period. Results are forwarded to the National List and Seeds Committee (NLSC) for recommendation.

Conservation Varieties

A Conservation Variety is defined as a landrace or plant variety that is naturally adapted to local and regional conditions and is threatened by genetic erosion.

From 30 June 2009 it is possible to List a Conservation Variety. The following guidelines are to assist in making applications for National Listing of Conservation Varieties of agricultural species in accordance with Commission Directive 2008/62/EC and The Seeds (National Lists of Varieties) Regulations 2001 as amended by The Seeds (National Lists of Varieties) (Amendment) Regulations 2009. They should be read with the general guidelines for National List applications.

• Guidelines for making a National List application in respect of a conservation variety

PVS Customer Survey

The results of the 2008-2009 customer survey have been published.

Marketing of Heritage Vegetable Varieties

Defra understands the concerns expressed about the impact of EU legislation on the marketing of older vegetable varieties sometimes known as 'heritage varieties'. Although the seeds law was put in place to protect consumers, which it has done, it is now clearly impinging on people who want to grow the older types in a way that wasn't intended. Defra has been working to improve things in two ways;

• we called for a fundamental review of EU seeds legislation during the UK's presidency in 2005, which was supported by all Member States,
• we have been active in Brussels, to develop less stringent EU legislation for older varieties of all crops and for vegetables intended for amateur gardeners. This new legislation should come through later this year.

The Agricultural Departments in the UK publish the definitive UK National Lists of Varieties of Vegetable Plant Species. The section dealing with the marketing of the older varieties is known as the Vegetable 'B' list. This list is the subject of a review in respect of the details relating to UK maintainership. Applications for new maintainers are currently under consideration and an addendum to the Vegetable 'B' List will be published when the decisions of those applications have been completed. Marketing of such varieties is not affected while this process is ongoing.

Variety Denominations under the UPOV Convention

In October 2006, UPOV adopted changes to certain naming classes the key change means that species such as Wheat and Barley which were originally in the same naming class have now been allocated their own naming class. In effect this means that a Barley and a Wheat can now have the same name; thus making it easier to propose and approve variety names.

The document entitled Explanatory Notes on Variety Denominations under the UPOV Convention - reference UPOV/INF/12/1 - adopted by the Council on 19 October 2006 refers.

See also:

• Publications: Gazette and information letters
• DUS & VCU trials
• GM varieties