Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

For Plant Breeders' Rights, this is easy to check by consulting the public registers for Plant Breeders' Rights. For Dutch Plant Breeders’ Rights, please see the Dutch Variety Register (NRR) through www.raadvoorplantenrassen.nl/en/. For European Plant Breeders’ Rights, please see the database of CPVO through www.cpvo.europa.eu.

For a patent, it is more complicated: 80 million patents can be seen in ESPACENET. Please see www.epo.org/searching/free/espacenet.html. However, in the database it is not possible to see in which plant varieties patents have been processed. The European Seed Association (ESA) has a database of voluntarily submitted information on varieties with patent elements. See also question: Does an ESA patent database exist?

Plant Breeders’ Rights is valid for a maximum of 25 years from the day that Plant Breeders’ Rights was granted. For some crops (in the Netherlands e.g., trees, potatoes and bulbs), the validity is 30 years.

A patent is valid for a maximum of 20 years from the day that the patent application was submitted. In special cases, the validity may be extended to 25 years.

You can apply for authorisation by just ticking the box on the Plant Breeders' Rights and/or listing application form. If you wish to apply for authorisation at a later stage, you can send this form to us by e-mail. 

Please refer to this link for the full text of the Decision (2004/842/EC). 

These can be found on this page: Authorisation: marketing material not yet listed vegetable varieties, paragraph "About the regulation".

You can contact Amanda van Dijk per email: nal@naktuinbouw.nl

You can find this in the Price list Testing & Analyses on our website under the desired test.

• Take samples from a place where the new symptoms are visible. Running laboratory tests on dead plants is not always possible.
• Take a sample before any crop protection products are applied. Crop protection products can destroy or mask the symptoms caused by pathogens and interfere with the laboratory tests
• If the symptoms are unclear, submit the entire plant.
• If symptoms are unclear or if the plants are uncommon, submit part of a healthy specimen. Pack the healthy sample separately. Indicate that it is healthy material on the label.
• Prevent leaves and flowers being contaminated by soil or substrate sent with the sample. Place a separate plastic bag around the roots and seal with an elastic band around the stem.
• Pack the entire sample in paper to prevent dehydration and rotting. Paper will regulate the moisture content in the plastic bag.

For export, an inspector often arranges the sampling. You can send an email to planning@naktuinbouw.nl. They can tell you exactly what you need to do.

To register as a Naktuinbouw customer to use our Variety Testing services, please complete this form.

For a large portion of the training sessions, it is possible to offer them in-company. During a conversation, we would like to discuss your preferences and possibilities and provide you with a quotation. Could you please send us a message by e-mail?

If you are interested in implementing a customized training session in your company, such as a combination of existing training programs, this is possible. Please send us a message by e-mail.