Seed and Plant Propagating Act.

Act to provide for the use of plant varieties, and to regulate the production and packaging of seed and propagating material of species of agricultural, horticultural and forestry plants, the trade in such materials, and the certification and inspection in by the State of such materials. Special requirements for the use of seed and propagating material protected in Estonia shall be provided for in the Plant Variety Rights Act and subordinated legislation. The Act consists of 31 sections divided into 10 Chapters: General provisions (1); Issue of activity licences (2); Production of seed and propagating and cultivating material (3); Certification and inspection of seed and propagating and cultivating material (4); Packaging of seed and propagating or cultivating material (5); Import and export of seed and propagating or cultivating material (6); Marketing of seed and propagating or cultivating material (7); State supervision (8); Liability (9), Amendments to other legislation and implementation of the Act (10). "Seed and propagating materials" means in this Act seed and propagating materials of agricultural and horticultural plants. "Cultivating material" means seed or plant material of forestry plants intended for propagation of plant species. The Minister of Agriculture (6) shall publish a Variety List containing all varieties permitted to be propagated in Estonia. A variety is entered in the list if it has passed official registration trails in accordance with section 6. Horticultural plants that are not subject to entry in the Variety list may be entered in the List of Recommended Varieties in accordance with section 7. Sections 8 to 11 provide for registration of varieties and publication of data. Licences for production and or packaging of seed or propagating material shall be applied for with the Plant Production Inspectorate. Persons wishing to obtain a licence for production or packaging of cultivating material shall apply to the Forestry Board (sect. 12). Land used for production shall be free of plant pest or diseases. Section 15 defines certification of seed or propagating material by the Plant production Inspectorate and certification of cultivating material by the Forestry Board. Import permits or export authorisations shall also be obtained from one of these two institutions. Marketing of plant species subject to entry in the Variety list in accordance with section 6 is only permitted if these species have been effectively entered in the List (sect. 22). Supervision over compliance with provisions of the present Act is entrusted to the Plant production Inspectorate for seed and propagating materials and to the Forestry Board for cultivating materials.