News

The Gazette is the government publication sheet. The new Gazette is published every month.

The TQ of spinach is modified

Change in invoicing when withdrawing a national application

We would like to inform you about our revised policy regarding invoicing for the withdrawal of applications for admission and/or plant breeders’ rights in the Netherlands.

This change aligns with the CPVO system and ensures a uniform and transparent invoicing process.

As of now, the following fees apply when withdrawing your national application:

25% of the DUS examination fee if the national application is withdrawn:

• before the first year of testing, after the closing date for the species in question, or
• 3 months before the deadline for submission of identity material when the period between the closing date and the date of submission of identity material is shorter than 3 months, or
• less than a month before or on the anniversary date for the submission of identity material in any subsequent year of testing.

100% of the DUS examination fee if the national application is withdrawn:

• after the deadline for submission of identity material in the first year of testing, or
• after the anniversary date for the submission of identity material in any subsequent year of testing.

An exception are national applications examined by a foreign research institute. If these national applications are withdrawn, we will charge the costs charged to us by the foreign research institute.

In this way, we adopt a uniform working method

We believe this makes it clear to you as an applicant what costs you can expect when withdrawing a national application.

This also ensures that the costs incurred by Naktuinbouw in preparation for the DUS-examination are reimbursed.

Starting January 1, 2026, we will introduce a new procedure for paying application fees for applications for listing and/or plant breeders’ rights in the Netherlands.
This new procedure ensures faster and more efficient processing of your submitted applications.

The Gazette is the government publication sheet. The new Gazette is published every month.

The Gazette is the government publication sheet. The new Gazette is published every month.

The fees of the Board for Plant Varieties are set annually by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature. The fee proposals are jointly prepared by Naktuinbouw and the Board for Plant Varieties. This announcement concerns the proposed application fees for plant breeders’ rights, variety registration, and DUS testing for 2026.

Fee indexation compared to 2025
• Average indexation: 6% increase on all 2025 fees.

Explanation on the indexation

Naktuinbouw adjusts wage and personnel costs annually based on the average of three collective labor agreements within the sector: Open Cultivation, Greenhouse Horticulture, and Garden Seeds.

For 2026, a wage indexation of 5% is assumed, partly based on recent collective labor agreement developments.

In addition, periodic scale increases are included, bringing the total increase in wage costs to 6%.

This adjustment ensures that Naktuinbouw remains in line with the market and that personnel costs are managed in a transparent and responsible manner.

Online application fee, also the same for all sectors in 2026

• New fee proposal: a single online application fee of €354 for all sectors, as virtually all national applications are submitted online.

Starting from 23 April 2026, new EU regulations will apply: bean seed from outside the EU must be tested for Cff before export to the EU. This testing requirement does not apply to seed within the EU.

What do we ask from you?

When submitting samples of the crops dwarf french/climbing french bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus), or broad/field bean (Vicia faba) for DUS testing, maintenance inspection, trial field testing, authorization or resistance testing we ask for one of the following:

• A plant passport as a declaration that the material is free from Cff.
  Note: A plant passport is not mandatory for research purposes, but most sample packages already include one. A plant passport generally guarantees compliance with all EU requirements, including freedom from quarantine pests such as Cff.

If a plant passport is not available:

• A declaration based on origin or own knowledge (a test certificate is not strictly required) stating that the sample is free from Cff.

The declaration may be:

• preferably printed or mentioned on the sample package
• or added as an attachment
• for seed from outside the EU: via the phytosanitary certificate

Why?
Your declaration allows us to ensure that the material is safe for inclusion in our trials.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.