News

We would like to inform you that the CPVO will be closed on the following

On November 20, 2024, policymakers, industry leaders, and legal experts convened at the IN Hotel in Belgrade, Serbia, to address an issue central to agricultural innovation: the protection of plant breeders’ rights (PBRs). The Conference on Raising Awareness and Strengthening Enforcement of Plant Breeders' Rights in the Western Balkan Region brought together prominent stakeholders, including Dirk Theobald, Senior Advisor at the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO). His contributions underscored the critical role of international collaboration and technical expertise in advancing PBR

The SME Fund 2024 offers an unparalleled opportunity for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to receive financial support for intellectual property (IP) services, including protecting plant varieties. As the application deadline of December 5, 2024, approaches, we spoke with Sara Piva, International Cooperation Officer at the CPVO (Community Plant Variety Office), to discuss the significance of this fund for plant breeders and how they can make the most of it.

The Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) held a technical training meeting on rice, gathering experts from across Europe to discuss advancements in Distinctness, Uniformity, and Stability (DUS) testing. 

The event took place from August 27 to August 28, 2024, at the CREA-DC, Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification, located in Vercelli, Italy. This meeting highlighted CPVO's ongoing efforts to refine plant variety protection technical protocols and brought

Yesterday marked a significant milestone as President Ursula von der Leyen presented the Political Guidelines for the next European Commission (2024-2029). As we chart the path forward, it's essential to align our objectives at the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) with these visionary guidelines to bolster Europe's competitiveness, sustainability, and innovation.

President Ursula von der Leyen highlights the importance of engaging with stakeholders in the agricultural sector to address the challenges and opportunities faced by European farmers. She states:

"I want to

Welcome back to our 'Plant Breeding Success Stories', where we share interviews from SMEs across the Plant Breeding sector. In the second part of this interview, we're chatting with FitzGerald Nurseries, an Irish company based in Stonyford, Kilkenny. The first part of this interview can be found here.

CPVO: Can you provide examples of how PVRs have helped Beotanics compete in the market against larger players?

FitzGerald Nurseries: Beotanics is thriving thanks to the protection granted by PVRs. It has 20 years of experience and breeder networks and gets to specialize and also