Description
Seed certification thus has several advantages, such as:
- ensuring farmers' access to quality assured seed;
- improving crop productivity (yield and quality);
- improving transparency along the supply chain by providing traceability;
- contributing to food security by ensuring higher overall production.
The current reference legislation at the Italian level is Legislative Decree 2 February 2021, no. 20 Norme per la produzione a scopo di commercializzazione e la commercializzazione di prodotti sementieri in attuazione dell'articolo 11 della legge 4 ottobre 2019, n. 117, per l'adeguamento della normativa nazionale alle disposizioni del regolamento (UE) 2016/2031 e del regolamento (UE) 2017/625. This implantot, transposed by the European Directives, indicates how varieties are to be entered in the national registers and the Common Catalogue, as well as how official phytosanitary control is to be carried out.
The species subject to certification are those listed in Annex I of Legislative Decree no. 20/2021, and are classified in the following categories:
- fodder crops;
- cereals;
- beets;
- oil and fibre crops;
- vegetables;
- potatoes;
- mixtures;
- other miscellaneous seed products.