New Zealand
August 25, 2023
New Zealand plant improvement is in a strong place in the opinion of Thomas Chin, Plant Breeding and Research Association General Manager.
“Investment into breeding new plant varieties to develop new traits is up,” says Chin.
Access to top-performing cultivars underpins New Zealand’s agricultural and horticultural success. An essential component of this is having a strong and innovative plant breeding sector. Many new and improved plant varieties are released to farmers and growers annually helping to lift profitability and productivity.
A report from the Plant Variety Rights Office (PVRO) for 2022-23 shows agricultural (arable crop, vegetable and pasture) plant breeders filed 44 PVR applications the highest number recorded for the past eight years.
The leading countries of origin for PVR filings were the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United States and New Zealand.
Summarising trends across the plant breeding sector the report found pasture, forage and arable crops such as clover, ryegrass, and wheat and vegetables accounted for nearly half of the total applications. Fruit and ornamentals made up the remainder of the application groups.
Chin says, “Around 80% of all barley cultivars and 75% of commercially available wheat varieties, popularly grown by farmers, have PVR protection.”
This means that under the Plant Variety Rights Act 2022 rights holders may obtain royalties from farmers who save and re-use seed protected since 2022. Rights holders and farmers are in discussions with MBIE to enable a formal royalty collection system.
Royalties on farm-saved seed are also authorised through New Zealand’s international obligations under the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, also known as UPOV, which brings the country into line with our main trade competitors.
“Royalties are critical for plant breeders as they incentivise reinvestment in breeding programs to deliver new varieties with improvements in yield, disease and pest resistance and climate resilience or other traits demanded by the market,” says Chin.
Meanwhile, the Association welcomes a new MBIE study on the economic and public good of Plant Variety Rights.
“We look forward to the results confirming the vital importance of plant breeding as a key driver for New Zealand’s economic growth. An increase in PVR filings means plant breeders are employing more staff and releasing new and better varieties to the market,” he said.
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