Hamburg, April 9 - A coalition of seven breeder associations, including CIOPORA, sent a joint letter to UPOV, elaborating on the breeders' views on the Essentially Derived Varieties (EDV) concept. The letter showcased the results of the cross-sector survey on EDV conducted by the coalition among their members in February/March 2020. In particular, the survey results indicate a general agreement among breeders that a close phenotypic similarity should not be a requirement for a variety to be considered an EDV. Almost 50% of the survey respondents rated the efficacy of the current EDV provision in ensuring that the breeder of the initial variety receives the necessary compensation, as absent or low.
The survey demonstrated the necessity of further clarification on the EDV Concept, and that any attempt to diminish its value by narrowing its scope or otherwise, would greatly endanger the breeding incentive for cross-breeding and could possibly lead to a decrease in breeding effort, genetic variation and biodiversity.
The breeders have clearly indicated that in their understanding:
The modification of one or more characteristics in an initial variety, e.g. by means of the latest breeding methods, does not automatically lead to a new variety falling out of the scope of EDV;
It does not matter, whether the characteristic(s) in which an EDV differs from the protected initial variety is (are) of economic, agronomic, or societal value, essential or trivial. The predominant derivation from an initial variety is a key requirement for a variety to be considered an EDV.
These and other survey results confirm the request of the breeder associations to open the UPOV Explanatory Notes on EDV to provide a sufficiently broad interpretation of the EDV concept.
In the coming weeks and months, the immediate task of the coalition will be to agree on the language and wordings for the next version of the Explanatory Notes.
Find the full letter, including the main findings of the survey, HERE.
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