Order No. 259/2017 establishing the requirements under which non-profit private entities may carry out, under the supervision of the General Directorate of Food and Veterinary, tests with agronomic and utilization value for the purpose of the registration of varieties in the National Catalog of Varieties of Agricultural and Horticultural Species.

This Order, consisting of 7 articles, establishes the requirements, under which non-profit private entities may carry out, under the supervision of the General Directorate of Food and Veterinary (DGAV), tests with Agronomic and Utilization Value (VAU) for the purpose of the registration of varieties in the National Catalog of Varieties of Agricultural and Horticultural Species (CNV) in accordance with article 8 of Decree-Law No. 42/2017 of 6 April. It also establishes the form of calculation and the procedure to be followed by benefiting from the subsidy to private entities in order to support the performance of the VAU tests, pursuant to article 56 of Decree-Law No. 42/2017. Such tests shall be carried out by the registered entity under the supervision of the DGAV in accordance with the schemes and test plans defined by the DGAV by fulfilling the conditions laid down in a specific protocol. The preparation of the seeds for testing and coding of the respective packaging is under the responsibility of the DGAV and the confidentiality of these varieties must be guaranteed.