Introduction Plant
Plant reproductive material (PRM) including seeds, young plants and plant cuttings, are plants and all parts of plants capable of, and intended for, producing entire plants for any purpose such as food, industrial uses, forestry or decoration (ornamental).
The PRM legislation has successfully ensured the identity, performance, quality and health of PRM, as well as fostered a competitive PRM industry, contributing to food security in EU.
Seed and other PRM constitute the very beginning of the agri-food production chain.
Conservation of traditional varieties and breeding of new plant varieties contribute to the diversity of PRM that will in turn contribute to the diversity of food available on the market.
For example, breeding can result in plant varieties producing strawberries in early spring, or in late summer.
Likewise, plant varieties can respond to consumer preferences, for example potatoes of different sizes, textures and colours.
Proposals by IRV-CIP
Many nurserymen that produce vine propagating material operate internationally and globally and need clear and common rules that hopefully be uniformly applied in EU countries.
Therefore, in general, the current legislation should update the connections, already running, with the rules concerning the phytosanitary aspects of the products, the performing of controls as well as those regarding the conservation of biodiversity and the CMO of wine.
Logistics and agronomic techniques have greatly progressed, hence the annexes should also be reviewed: e.g. the one on the dimensions of materials and packaging. Some of these aspects could be managed directly between buyer and seller.
Furthermore more types of material could also be provided for e.g. the micropropagated plants.
Finally the Common Catalogue, already envisaged by art. 5e point 2 of Dir. 68/193 EEC, is a needed tool for the nurserymen.
