Plant breeding has delivered major advances
in the yield, quality and performance of
agricultural crops, and remains a vital industry
to keep Britain competitive on world markets.
Like royalties on certified seed, payments on farm-saved
seed support continued investment in improved varieties,
bred for UK conditions.
At present, however, around 10% of the total royalty
income plant breeders should receive is lost due to non-payment
or mis-declaration on farm-saved seed.
This level of ‘bad debt’ is not sustainable. Without effective
protection of plant breeders’ intellectual property, the future
availability of UK-bred varieties, tailored to our unique
climatic, agronomic and end-use demands, is at stake.
That’s why plant breeders and the farming unions have
agreed, with the support of many other sectors of the
industry, to a targeted programme of action to crack down
on farm-saved seed evasion.
