What is OECD?
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an intergovernmental forum composed of 29 market economy member countries from four continents (Europe, America, Asia and Oceania). OECD specialises in all sectors of economic activity, and its mandate is to allow governments to study and formulate the best policies. It provides various views on current topics, from unbinding policy advice to formal recommendations and binding decisions. Some of its activities are open to non-member countries, which is the case of seed trade regulations and more precisely the OECD Seed Schemes.
What are the OECD Seed Schemes?
The OECD Seed Schemes are recognised world-wide for the varietal certification of seed moving in international trade. Their establishment (initiated in 1958) resulted from the combination of a fast-growing seed trade, the regulatory tradition of European countries, the development of off-season production, the seed breeding potential of large exporting countries and the support of private industry.
By the end of 1999, 48 countries will be participating in the OECD Seed Schemes (29 from Europe, 7 from North and South America, 6 from Africa, 4 from Asia and 2 from Oceania). Participating countries from the Near East, North Africa and around the Mediterranean Sea are: Egypt (which joined last year), Israel, Iran, Cyprus, Turkey, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, France, Spain, Morocco and Tunisia.
There are six Seed Schemes - adherence is voluntary for all schemes. Membership varies according to each scheme:
- Herbage and Oil Seed (46 countries)
- Cereals (44 countries)
- Maize and Sorghum (35 countries)
- Beet (29 countries)
- Vegetables (22 countries)
- Subterranean Clover and Similar Species (4 countries)
Scope and requirements of the OECD Seed Schemes
OECD Seed Schemes are designed to encourage the use of seed of consistently high quality in participating countries. The Schemes authorise the use of labels and certificates for seed produced and processed for international trade according to agreed principles. The OECD certification is applied to cultivars satisfying DUS tests (Distinction, Uniformity and Stability) and the Schemes aim to ensure varietal identity and purity through seed multiplication, processing and labelling.
A consequential benefit of the Schemes is the removal of technical trade barriers for the OECD certified seed, which is recognised as "quality-guaranteed" seed. In 1997/98, more than 350 000 tonnes of seed were OECD-certified, traded and used by farmers.
The Annual List of Cultivars eligible for OECD certification includes cultivars which are officially recognised as distinct and having an acceptable value in at least one country. It contains most internationally traded cultivars, which have grown steadily in the past twenty years to reach about 20 000 cultivars in last year’s issue. This list is now available on the Internet (free access) at http:/www.oecd.org/agr/code/index.htm.
Trueness to type: Through the OECD Seed Schemes, participating countries agree on common requirements and methods of maintaining the variety characteristics throughout the seed multiplication process, especially when seed is multiplied abroad.
Minimum standards: Participating countries recognise that seed lots must satisfy minimum levels for varietal identity and purity to be preserved. These requirements are achieved by using previous cropping conditions such as isolation distances and through field inspections and plot control as appropriate. Chemotaxonomic tests are also used.
Seed categories: The following categories of seed are recognised in the Schemes and each corresponds to a well-specified generation number and associated technical conditions. They include pre-basic seed, basic seed, and certified seed. This nomenclature follows those used traditionally in Europe, North America and elsewhere.
Samples: OECD Certification uses ISTA (or, if necessary, similar) sampling and testing methods. It has also incorporated ISTA’s lot size limits in its rules.
How does the system operate?
The government of each country participating in the OECD Schemes designates a National Authority to implement the Schemes. The operation and progress of the Scheme is reviewed at an annual meeting of representatives of designated authorities held alternatively in Paris and in a country participating in the Schemes (e.g. South Africa in 1998, Germany in 2000, Bolivia in 2002). Proposals for new rules or adaptation of the existing rules to current needs are made regularly, and in addition, these meetings foster the sharing of information and experiences.
International organisations and governments representing industry and farmers participate as observers in the OECD meetings. FAO is actively represented by its Seed Service (AGPS). UPOV, ISTA and FIS/ASSINSEL collaborate with the OECD. The European Commission has a recognised status in OECD since the current 15 EU Member States are members of the Organisation.
Among the technical issues recently discussed, the following should be mentioned: separation of the "Herbage and Oilseed Scheme" into two different Schemes; previous cropping requirements for some species; identity and purity standards for oil seed hybrids derived from new breeding methods; agreements for seed multiplication abroad; weeds and rejection of seed crops; varietal mixtures of herbage seed; percentage of mandatory post control of the OECD certified seed; non-final certification of unprocessed seed moving in international trade; the relevance of genetic modifications for certification; the relevance of certification of ecotypes or landraces; identity preservation of the harvested grain; and whole bag labelling.
When a country joins the OECD Seed Schemes, there is no obligation to subject all domestic seed production adhere to the OECD requirements. The Schemes are often only applied to seed, which will be exported. The first objective of the OECD Seed Schemes is to facilitate the international trade of seed by providing an official and recognised method for certification. The Seed Schemes, which may be part of advisory and extension services, or export promoting policies, have proven to be useful in enhancing the use of clear and reliable methods in the production of seed and also benefiting the internal markets. They enhance national competitiveness and may be seen as a public service provided to firms, particularly smaller.
How do states and companies interact?
The success of the Schemes depends upon close and continuous co-operation between the institutions, which maintain the variety, seed producers, traders and the designated authorities in participating, countries. Particularly when seed multiplication takes place outside the country of registration of a cultivar and the Designated Authority has permitted such a commercial multiplication, the institutions maintaining the variety should be consulted and close contact established between the designated authorities in the countries concerned.
Private companies can do as well as governments in establishing and maintaining the distinctness, uniformity and stability of their cultivars, not only domestically but also across borders. However, companies follow their own objectives, perform within constraints of each market and compete through differing levels of standards and information. Therefore, there remains a need for minimum criteria to be commonly defined, endorsed and enforced. The OECD Schemes provide a legal system to control minimum standards at the international level. Its contribution to monitoring the identity and purity of seed brings additional benefits to seed producers.
Recent work has focused on a voluntary experiment pertaining to the so-called "accreditation" of field inspection. This allowed limited and conditional recognition of field inspection by company staff of some certified-seed crops. This experimental departure from the rules was agreed in the wake of the 1989 EC experiment. Thirteen countries (out of 48) have participated in the OECD experiment with no adverse results. Accreditation tends to be associated with the spreading of quality assurance systems. The 1999 Annual Meeting of the Designated Authorities agreed on the extension of the experiment to other aspects of seed certification such as sampling, laboratory testing, and labelling. The procedure will be defined in conjunction with ISTA and FIS.
The future environment of the Seed Schemes
The OECD Seed Schemes must respond to the increasing demand for membership from new countries. Starting with 17 countries in 1958, the number of participants has reached 48 (including the recent admission of Brazil and Lithuania proposed during the 1999 Annual Meeting, which should become effective by the end of the year). Other official applications are currently in progress and a fairly large number of countries --including countries in the Near East and North Africa have shown interest and may wish to join in the near future.
As more countries enter international markets, the growth of the OECD Seed Schemes is inevitable. In addition, seed "consumers" are becoming more sophisticated, they demand greater certainty and safety in what they buy. At the same time, careful management of public resources and funds must be a constant feature of the OECD Schemes to ensure that regulation/quality control costs remain low.
The present co-operation among countries and international organisations working in seed is viewed as a response to the developing concern for a market-responsive regulatory approach to seed trade. The up coming 1999 World Seed Conference, to be co-sponsored by ISTA, FIS/ASSINSEL, OECD and UPOV, could be a landmark step towards a new regulatory balance to seed movement and trade among countries.
Each country confronted with different legal settings, institutional balances and market relations, must devise its own approach. At the same time, the multiplicity of approaches must remain consistent among countries entering the world trade market as importers or exporters. Therefore, participation in an international organisation yields benefits. The operating cost of such an international organisation is reduced when more countries participate.
The OECD is open to developing already promising contacts with the Near East and North Africa region and welcomes new participating countries to contribute to international seed trade development.
Number of cultivars eligible for certification (all data approximate)
|
Cultivars |
1974 |
1984 |
1994 |
1997 |
|
Legumes |
400 (33 spp) |
900 (42 spp) |
2 500 (54 spp) |
3 025 (54 spp) |
|
Gramineae |
700 (61 spp) |
1 399 (72 spp) |
2 000 (81 spp) |
2 400 (81 spp) |
|
Cruciferae |
250 |
360 |
560 |
690 |
|
Other Herbage and Oil Seed |
-- |
210 (7 spp) |
1 340 (9 spp) |
1 895 (10 spp) |
|
Cereals |
900 |
1 550 |
2 575 |
3 355 |
|
Sugar beet |
210 |
360 |
680 |
1 085 |
|
Fodder beet |
150 |
140 |
130 |
|
|
Subterranean clover |
20 |
50 |
52 |
|
|
Maize |
1 275 |
3 400 |
4 976 |
|
|
Sorghum |
440 |
580 |
||
|
TOTAL |
2 645 |
6 175 |
13 675 |
18 050 |
Contact:OECD 2, rue André Pascal 75775 Paris Cedex 16 - France
Mr. DEBOIS Jean-Marie - Principal Administrator, Agricultural Codes and Schemes
Tel: +33.1.45.24.95.48 Fax: +33.1.45.24.95.16 Email:
jean-marie.debois@oecd.org Mr. DAGALLIER Bertrand - Administrator, Agricultural Codes and SchemesTel: +33.1.45.24.18.78 or 95.48 Fax: +33.1.45.24.78.34 Email:
bertrand.dagallier@oecd.org
