Plant Varieties & Seeds

UK Plant Variety Rights Office & Seeds Division of Defra

This office provides three services of importance to plant breeders and the seeds industry: -

Plant Breeders Rights

Offers legal protection for the investment plant breeders make in breeding and developing new varieties. This service is open to breeders of any species of plant; agricultural, horticultural and ornamental.

National Listing

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

Seed Certification

Is a quality assurance process which ensures that seed is not marketed unless it meets specified standards.

It is our aim to manage these services efficiently, economically and with regard to the needs of all our customers. We have recently been granted a Certificate of Assessment confirming that our Quality Management System conforms with the ISO 9001: 2000 standard. We welcome your comments on our performance.