From the CTPS Forage and Grass Section

The CTPS forage and grass plant section met on 26 February 2024 to discuss the proposed Plant Reproductive Material (PRM) regulation.

Three topics were discussed: the list of forage species in the PRM regulation, the use of grass, and the regulations on “preservation blends”. 

The first issue concerns the list of forage species in the PRM regulation.  The section is proposing to ask for the “commercial seed” regulation to be included, or for the list of species to be extended to include some of the species concerned by commercial seed.

Secondly, the section discussed the use of grass, which is not explained in the PRM text.  Article 5 of the draft PRM regulation published by the European Commission stipulates that marketed varieties must be registered, except in a certain number of cases, including sales to final users. If the regulation is adopted as it stands, end-users could therefore use certified seed, but this would no longer be an obligation. This point particularly concerns grass seed bought by private individuals to sow their gardens (55% of the grass seed market). The section is therefore in favour of the obligation to use certified seed for grass sold on the professional and amateur markets.

Lastly, the section proposed several modifications to Article 22 of the proposed PRM Regulation concerning the regulation of “preservation blends”. The concept of “Region of Origin” is clearer and more operational than “Source area”, which does not provide any useful information about the collection site. The possibility of introducing registered varieties into preservation blends should be deleted from this article, according to the section, as it does not correspond to the spirit of preservation blends (reintroduction of wild and non-bred seed in a geographical area fairly close to the collection area). A new text will be proposed to support the Section’s view that a clear distinction should be made between preservation blends and forage blends.