From the CTPS Inter-Sections Commission dedicated to Organic Agriculture (CISAB)
The CTPS Intersection Commission dedicated to Organic Agriculture met on 15 October. This commission, composed of numerous partners from the organic agriculture sector (researchers, development officers, seed producers, etc.), provides a forum for discussing industry news (regulatory developments, research project results, etc.) in order to promote varieties suited to organic agriculture, organic seeds and plants, and to support the various CTPS Sections in this regard.
With the adoption of Regulation (EU) 2018/848, heterogeneous biological materials can be deposited in the EU since 1 January 2022. Thus, 49 dossiers have already been notified by 5 member countries on 12 species, and others will follow. France has notified a single soft wheat MHB, Pop Orvilliers, for 2024.
With regard to organic varieties suitable for organic production, a temporary trial began on 1 July 2023 for barley, maize, rye and wheat for agricultural plant species and for carrots and kohlrabi for vegetable species. Four applications are currently being studied in Europe (soft wheat, barley, carrots).
Through the European LIVESEEDING project, of which GEVES is a partner, work is also underway on other species, particularly vegetable species (such as courgettes), in an attempt to adapt DUS protocols to these organically selected varieties, which may be more heterogeneous.
Aware that the current definition raises many questions, the ECO-PB association proposed several additions to clarify the situation at the 3rd general meeting of the LIVESEEDING project, held in Italy in September 2024.
Thus, if these proposals are accepted by the official European authorities, a biological variety suitable for organic production must have been selected over a minimum of five generations and five years for a self-pollinating species, or four generations and eight years for a cross-pollinating species.
For the 22 varieties of soft wheat and 2 varieties of durum wheat already tested in organic agriculture and listed in the official French Catalogue, it would be advisable to identify those that could correspond to this scenario. To be continued…
Furthermore, it should be noted that there are new developments in the CTPS’s protein crops section, as field beans can now count on one organic trial in its national trial network. Results from the 2025 harvest are currently being analysed.
Finally, this meeting provided an opportunity to thank CISAB President Sylvie HUBIN DEDENYS, who is retiring, and to welcome Marie-Lise MOLINIER (CGAAER, also President of the CTPS fruit species section), who is succeeding her.
