Plant Variety Rights | Online technical training for Chinese experts

IP Key China collaborates very closely with the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO), an agency of the European Union located in Angers, France, as well as with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA), both based in the People’s Republic of China.

In recent years the project has organised hands-on, one- to two-week training sessions for Chinese experts at EU examination offices. The participants expressed their satisfaction at having been able to find useful examples and valuable inspiration for coping with the rapid growth of applications in their plant variety protection system.

Due to the worldwide pandemic the training this year was held online. This gave experts from all over China the opportunity to participate in an intensive three-day plant variety rights technical training session, from 20 to 22 October inclusive.

More than 60 Chinese experts on DUS testing from MARA and NFGA participated in the sessions on different aspects of DUS testing. There were also dedicated sessions on the testing of specific agricultural, fruit, vegetable and ornamental species: wheat, pepper, perennial ryegrass, apple, maize, Phalaenopsis, potato and grapevine.

Mr Martin Ekvad, president of the CPVO, led the training which provided an excellent opportunity for hands-on, in-depth discussions among the Chinese experts and their peers in the EU: trainers from the CPVO and from six EU examination offices (the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands and Spain).

The event aims to support EU-China cooperation in the implementation of training activities and exchange of experience in PVP administration, DUS examination and use of relevant tools.