Government Decision No. HG149/2025 validating the Regulation on the production and marketing of cereal seeds.

The Regulation applies to seed of defined cereal species and their hybrids. It establishes detailed definitions for categories of seed (pre-basic, basic, certified first and second generation), for open-pollinated varieties, inbred lines and various types of hybrids of maize and sorghum, and for the competent authority and the notion of official and officially supervised examinations. Previous national requirements on maize, sorghum and cereal seed quality and marketing are expressly repealed, with transitional provisions for marketing existing stocks. The Regulation lays down technical and procedural conditions for field inspection, seed testing, sampling, certification, moisture content, and germination standards, referring to international methods where available. It regulates when examinations may be carried out under official supervision, including qualification, independence and oversight of inspectors, samplers and laboratories, and requires minimum percentages of lots to be checked by the authority. It sets conditions for marketing only certified categories of seed, allows certain derogations for lower germination under special labelling, and provides for provisional certification in exceptional situations based on preliminary analysis. It also permits limited quantities of seed for scientific purposes, breeding, tests and experiments, including genetically modified varieties subject to biosafety and state control laws. The text prescribes homogeneity and lot size limits, packaging, official closure and resealing, and detailed labelling requirements, including colour codes by category, mandatory information, and special indications for GM varieties and chemically treated seed. It regulates mixtures of varieties and species, including specific green labels, and requires official certificates for lots meeting special conditions on Avena fatua. Provisions are included on the import, multiplication and certification of seed produced in EU Member States or in third countries recognized as equivalent, including documentation and labelling rules. The Ministry of Agriculture may temporarily authorize marketing of seeds of less stringent categories or non-listed varieties in case of general supply difficulties. Official controls during marketing, including sampling of imported seed and comparative tests (including for organic seed and in situ conservation), are mandated, and non-compliance with the Regulation entails civil, disciplinary, administrative or criminal liability under general law. Technical annexes specify field isolation distances, varietal purity and hybridization standards, phytosanitary thresholds, seed quality parameters, lot and sample weights, and labelling models, including for provisionally certified seed.