Plant Varieties Bill — 24 Jun 1997

Order for Second Reading read.

I beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Second time.

The basic purpose of the Bill is to implement the 1991 revisions to the international convention for the protection of new varieties of plants, or the UPOV convention as it is commonly known--UPOV is a French acronym, which I shall not seek to translate for the House. At the same time, the Bill will align the standards of protection offered by United Kingdom national systems of plant breeders' rights with those already available under the parallel, but quite separate, European Community plant breeders' rights regime, which was established in September 1994. The UK will therefore be able to ratify the international convention.

Plant breeders' rights are a form of intellectual property--similar in many ways to patents--which enable plant breeders to obtain protection for their new varieties and an income, through royalties, from their commercial exploitation. A vibrant and successful plant breeding industry, committed to investment in developing new, improved varieties, is vital to the success of UK agriculture and of the nursery trade. A robust system of plant variety protection is essential to provide the necessary incentives to investment in plant breeding.

In many ways, I would describe the Bill as a one-nation Bill, where old Labour-- [Laughter.] I shall say that again: this is a one-nation Bill, where old Tory meets new Labour.

When farm saved-seed is royalty bearing,

When the deed is finally done,

How then will older seeds be faring

And will it be from July 2001?

Question put, That the Bill be now read a Second time:--

The House divided: Ayes 289, Noes 35.

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