Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO)

🎓 Sharing knowledge and inspiring the next generation! Laetitia Denecheau, Technical Expert at the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO), recently delivered a general presentation to a group of students at ESA, L'Ecole supérieure des agricultures in Angers, introducing them to our activities and expertise. The session sparked great interest, with students actively engaging and asking several questions. It was a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas, share knowledge, and connect with the next generation of professionals. #KnowledgeSharing #Education #PlantVarietyProtection #Innovation #ESA #Angers

🇪🇺 🇲🇩 From Moldova to Hungary: learning how Europe ensures quality in plant variety testing. What does it take to ensure that plant varieties are examined according to consistent quality standards? Recently, a delegation from Moldova had the opportunity to see the process first-hand. As part of an EU-funded TAIEX initiative, Moldovan observers joined an assessment conducted by the CPVO’s independent Quality Audit Service (QAS) at Nébih, Hungary’s National Food Chain Safety Office. During the visit to Tordas, the delegation gained practical insights into how examination offices are assessed and how quality requirements are applied to DUS testing (Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability). An opportunity to share technical expertise and give Moldova first-hand experience of the standards underpinning the EU plant variety protection system. #CPVO #TAIEX #PlantVarietyRights #Moldova #DUSTesting

Plant breeding is changing. And so is the role of CPVO.   The new EU Regulation on New Genomic Techniques gives CPVO a formal place in the expert group that will support the European Commission in assessing the impact of patents on NGT plants.   The group will look at issues that go directly to the heart of plant breeding: access to patented biological material, licensing practices, innovation, competition, legal certainty and the impact on breeders and farmers.    This new responsibility comes alongside CPVO’s broader technical contribution to discussions on plant variety rights at EU and international level.   As plant breeding technologies evolve, the interaction between patents, plant variety rights and access to genetic material will become increasingly important.   The point is simple: when EU institutions discuss plant variety rights, harvested material, breeders’ rights and the functioning of the protection system, specialist expertise is needed. CPVO’s role is to provide that expertise with clarity, neutrality and legal precision.   #CPVO #NGT #PlantVarietyRights #PlantBreeding #IntellectualProperty #EuropeanUnion

Patents, plant variety rights and new breeding technologies are increasingly part of the same conversation. Today, CPVO welcomed members of the Boards of Appeal of the European Patent Office (European Patent Office) to Angers for two days of exchanges on plant innovation and intellectual property. The discussions go beyond the theory. They look at questions that matter directly to breeders and IP practitioners: recent EPO case law on plant-related inventions, the functioning of the #EU plant variety protection system, essentially derived varieties, and the potential impact of the new EU framework on genomic techniques. CPVO Vice-President Nuria Urquia Fernandez opened the meeting, bringing together legal and technical experts from both organisations. Different systems, different legal frameworks — but an increasingly important area of common ground as plant breeding technologies continue to evolve. The exchanges continue tomorrow. #CPVO #EPO #PlantVarietyRights #Patents #PlantBreeding #IntellectualProperty #NGTs

Imagine creating a plant that has never existed before. Sounds simple? It isn't. Creating a new plant variety can take years or even decades. It requires significant expertise, investment, and dedication, but the result can contribute to more sustainable agriculture, improved food production, and greater choice for growers and consumers. Here's how it happens: https://lnkd.in/eUiZDFZD More on https://lnkd.in/e7q9bH8U

🌱 Plant variety protection, by the numbers:🌽 6,045 maize varieties. Since 1995, 6,045 varieties of Zea mays have been granted protection by the CPVO. A crop with incredible diversity, maize varieties are developed for different environments, uses and growing characteristics. #CPVO #ProtectedVarieties #Maize #ZeaMays #PlantBreeding #Agriculture #PlantVarietyProtection

Connecting with stakeholders across the ornamental and horticultural sectors is an essential part of our mission. Salon du Végétal offers valuable opportunities to exchange views on innovation, sustainability, and the future of plant breeding in Europe. Thank you to our Plant Variety Expertise Unit colleagues for bringing CPVO closer to the community we serve. 🌿

Climate resilience also starts with the varieties farmers can grow. In her 2026 State of the Union address, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a new framework for climate resilience and specifically referred to drought-resistant crops among the adaptation technologies in which Europe is already a leader. For plant breeding, the connection is direct. Developing new varieties can help agriculture respond to drought, heat, diseases and changing growing conditions. But creating a new variety requires years of research, testing and investment. The EU plant variety protection system provides an intellectual property framework for that innovation. Through the CPVO, breeders can obtain a plant variety right valid across the European Union through a single application. As Europe strengthens its approach to climate adaptation, plant breeding will remain part of the toolbox available to farmers and the wider agri-food sector. #SOTEU #PlantBreeding #PlantVarietyRights #ClimateResilience #Agriculture #Innovation

🌱 Plant variety protection, by the numbers: 🥔 1,996 potato varieties. Since 1995, 1,996 varieties of Solanum tuberosum have been granted protection by the CPVO. From the field to the plate, potato varieties can differ in characteristics such as shape, colour, texture and growing performance reflecting decades of plant breeding and innovation. #CPVO #ProtectedVarieties #Potatoes #SolanumTuberosum #PlantBreeding #Agriculture #PlantVarietyProtection

Around the table today: not discussing routine business, but preparing for the unexpected. The CPVO management team participated in a business continuity crisis exercise designed to test decision-making, coordination and organisational resilience in a simulated disruption scenario. While we hope never to face such situations, preparedness remains a fundamental responsibility. By regularly testing our plans and challenging our assumptions, we strengthen our ability to continue serving stakeholders effectively, even under difficult circumstances. Building resilience is an ongoing process, and today's exercise provided valuable insights for the future. #CPVO #BusinessContinuity #Resilience #Leadership #CrisisManagement #PublicAdministration #Preparedness #RiskManagement