Conditions for entry of a variety in the National List of Varieties

For entry in the national list of varieties, a variety shall be distinct, stable and sufficiently uniform (DUS). The variety shall have an appropriate name.

Varieties of agricultural plants (cereal, fodder plant, oil and fibre plant, beet, potato), industrial chicory, oil pumpkin, hop, and vine, shall also have an appropriate value for production and use (VCU).

There shall be a person or persons responsible for maintenance of the variety.

Prior to entry of a variety in the national list of varieties, all the costs linked to variety value testing for production and use (VCU test) and to variety distinctness, uniformity and stability testing (DUS test) shall be covered.

Application for entry of a variety in the National List of Varieties

Application for entry of a variety in the national list of varieties shall be presented by the breeder, or by the person responsible for maintenance of the variety.

A separate application shall be presented for entry of each variety in the national list of varieties. Each application shall be accompanied by a completed technical questionnaire.

Application for entry of a variety in the national list of varieties shall be presented by the deadline published in the official gazette, AFSVSPP Publications.

Verification of conditions for entry of variety in the National List of Varieties

Verification of application

AFSVSPP shall check the application by its format and contents. In case of a complete application, the entered variety shall be given a registration number, under which it shall be entered in the register of applications.

Data on complete application entered for variety registration in the national list of varieties are published in the official gazette AFSVSPP Publications.

Verification of variety

Based on data in application and other accompanying documents, in variety field tests and in laboratory tests, the distinctness, uniformity and stability (DUS test) of the proposed variety shall be tested, and in case of agricultural, vine and hop varieties, and at oil pumpkin varieties, also the value for production and use (VCU test). Value of a variety for production and use shall be determined in particular by the following characteristics: crop level and quality, resistance against diseases, pests and abiotic stress conditions (water deficiency, frost).

DUS and VCU tests shall be conducted by designated test providers, who comply with the prescribed conditions. DUS tests may be conducted also by Offices in the other EU Member States, with whom the AFSVSPP has in place an agreement on DUS testing.

Samples of seeds and propagating material shall for DUS and VCU testing be delivered to the designated test provider.

Quantity of sample and deadline for delivery of seed and propagating material sample for DUS testing shall be defined by the DUS test provider. At delivery of a seed and propagating material sample for VCU testing of a variety, the quantities and deadlines shall be taken into account, which are published by AFSVSPP in the official gazette AFSVSPP Publications.

DUS testing shall not be necessary if it had already been conducted in another EU Member State or in a third country, which has been recognised the equivalence of procedures and methods of official variety testing. VCU testing shall not be necessary for the varieties of grass, which are not intended for feed production.

Verification of adequacy of the name of a variety

Adequacy of denomination of variety is verified by AFSVSPP, as the variety name needs to facilitate the distinction of the variety from any other generally known variety of the same species or of related species. The name shall not be misleading, in particular as to provenance of a variety and its characteristics, and it shall not be in contradiction with the regulations governing the trademarks or geographical designations. Rules for denomination of varieties are defined by regulations of the EU.

Proposals for denomination of a variety are published in the official gazette AFSVSPP Publications.

Variety testing methods

In variety distinctness, uniformity and stability testing (DUS test), DUS technical test protocols shall be used, as adopted by CPVO (Community Plant Variety Office) and accessible at CPVO website.

If no technical test protocol has been adopted by CPVO for a certain plant species, then the DUS technical guidelines shall be used, as adopted by UPOV (International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants), and accessible at UPOV website.

DUS test methods for other species shall be defined by AFSVSPP. In a variety value testing for production and use (VCU test), the VCU test methods defined by AFSVSPP shall be used.

Period of registration of a variety in the National List of Varieties

If a variety complies with the required conditions, it may be entered in the National List of Varieties.

Variety shall be entered in the national list of varieties by its official name. At each variety in the national list of varieties, data on the person or persons responsible for maintenance of the variety, and on the period of registration of the variety shall be kept.

An agricultural or vegetable plant variety shall be registered in the national list of varieties for a period of 10 years, by the end of the tenth calendar year that follows the year of entry. A fruit plant variety shall be registered in the national list of varieties for a period of 30 years. Varieties of other plant species shall be registered in the national list of varieties as long as they are maintained as required, or as long as they retain the characteristics that had been verified in the procedure of entry.

At entry of a variety in the national list of varieties, the standard sample of the variety shall be kept by the designated standard sample storage provider.

Costs of procedure

Administrative fee

For issuing a Decision on entry of a variety in the national list of varieties, the applicant shall pay an administrative fee according to Tariff Nos. 1 and 3 (acceptance of application and issuing of a Decision) of the Administrative Fees Act (in Slovenian language Zakon o upravnih taksah), amounting to EUR 22,60 for one application. The sum of the administrative fee shall be remitted to relevant sub-account of the Bank of Slovenia.

In making the payment, the following data shall be used:

• Code of purpose of payment: GOVT
• Purpose of payment: Application for entry of a variety in the national list of varieties / Prijava za vpis sorte v sortno listo
• Name of bank: Banka Slovenije
• Name of payee (recipient of payment): Uprava RS za varno hrano, veterinarstvo in varstvo rastlin
• Address of the payee: Dunajska 22, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Number of payee’s (payment recipient’s) account (IBAN): SI56 0110 0100 0315 637
• SWIFT/BIC: BSLJ SI2X
• Model and Reference number: SI11 23370-7111002

Costs of DUS and VCU testing

The level of DUS testing costs is defined by designated test provider.

The level of VCU testing costs is defined in the Annex to the Rules on the procedure for acceptance of a variety in the national list of varieties and on keeping the national variety list (in Slovenian language Pravilnik o postopku vpisa sorte v sortno listo in o vodenju sortne liste).