Commission Directive 2003/45/EC of 28 May 2003 amending Council Directive 2002/57/EC on the marketing of seed of oil and fibre plants (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2003-05-28
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: marketing, oleaginous plant, seed, textile plant

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Official Journal of the European Union

5.6.2003

COMMISSION DIRECTIVE 2003/45/EC

of 28 May 2003

amending Council Directive 2002/57/EC on the marketing of seed of oil and fibre plants

(Text with EEA relevance)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Directive 2002/57/EC of 13 June
2002 on the marketing of seed of oil and fibre plants (1), as
amended by Directive 2002/68/EC (2), and in particular Article
2(3a) and Article 24 thereof,

varietal associations, Directive 2002/57/EC should be
amended to include adequate labelling requirements for
varietal associations.

Directive 2002/57/EC should therefore be amended
accordingly.

The measures contained in this Directive are in accor-
dance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on
Seeds and Propagating Material for Agriculture, Horticul-
ture and Forestry,

(6)

(7)

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

Directive 2002/57/EC lays out Community provisions
for the marketing of seed of oil and fibre plants within
the Community. It does not cover, within the definition
of the category ‘basic seed’, seed of hybrids other than
sunflower; furthermore the Directive does not establish
specific conditions to be satisfied by the seed of swede
rape and cotton.

Commission Decision 95/232/EC of 27 June 1995 on
the organisation of a temporary experiment under
Council Directive 69/208/EEC in order
to establish
conditions to be satisfied by the seed of hybrids and
varietal associations of swede rape and turnip rape (3), as
last amended by Directive 2002/68/EC, aims at, inter alia,
establishing the conditions to be satisfied by the seed of
hybrids of swede rape for certification and marketing
under Community legislation.

The results of the temporary experiment provided for in
Decision 95/232/EC have confirmed that specific condi-
tions for seed of hybrids of swede rape should be estab-
lished. Accordingly, Directive 2002/57/EC should be
amended in order to include specific conditions.

The OECD has established rules for seed for intra- and
inter-specific hybrids of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum and
Gossypium barbadense).
to ensure coherence
In order
between the OECD and the EU in such an area, Directive
2002/57/EC should be amended to include rules equiva-
lent to those of the OECD.

Varietal associations of oil and fibre plants came within
the scope of Directive 2002/57/EC. However, the label-
that Directive do not adequately
ling provisions of
provide for the labelling of seeds of varietal associations.
Accordingly, to provide for a specific labelling of seed of

HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:

Article 1

Directive 2002/57/EC is amended as follows:

1.

in Article 2(1)(c), the introductory sentence is replaced by
the following:

‘(c) basic seed: (varieties other than hybrids) means seed’;

2.

in Article 2(1)(d), the introductory sentence is replaced by
the following:

‘(d) basic seed (hybrids)’;

3. Annexes I, II, and IV are amended in accordance with the

text set out in the Annex to this Directive.

Article 2

1. Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations
or administrative provisions necessary to comply with this
Directive by 31 December 2003 at the latest.

When Member States adopt those provisions, they shall contain
a reference to this Directive or be accompanied by such a refer-
ence on the occasion of their official publication. Member
States shall determine how such reference is to be made.

2. Member States shall communicate to the Commission the
texts of the main provisions of national law, which they adopt
in the field covered by this Directive.

Article 3

(1) OJ L 193, 20.7.2002, p. 74.
(2) OJ L 195, 24.7.2002, p. 32.
(3) OJ L 154, 5.7.1995, p. 22.

This Directive shall enter
into force on the seventh day
following its publication in the Official Journal of the European
Union.

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This Directive is addressed to the Member States.

Article 4

Done at Brussels, 28 May 2003.

For the Commission

David BYRNE

Member of the Commission

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Official Journal of the European Union

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ANNEX

Annexes I, II, and IV to Directive 2002/57/EC are amended as follows.

1. Annex I is amended as follows:

(a) in point 1, the following subparagraph is added:

‘In the case of hybrids of swede rape, the crop shall be raised in a production ground where five years have
elapsed since plants of Cruciferae were last grown.’;

(b) in point 2, the table is replaced by the following:

Crop

Minimum distance

‘Brassica spp. other than Brassica napus; Cannabis sativa other than monoecius hemp;
Carthamus tinctorius; Carum carvi; Gossypium spp. other than hybrids of Gossypium hirsutum
and/or Gossypium barbadense; Sinapis alba:

— for the production of basic seed

— for the production of certified seed

Brassica napus:

— for the production of basic seed of varieties other than hybrids

— for the production of basic seed of hybrids

— for the production of certified seed of varieties other than hybrids

— for the production of certified seed of hybrids

Cannabis sativa, monoecius hemp:

— for the production of basic seed

— for the production of certified seed

Helianthus annuus:

— for the production of basic seed of hybrids

— for the production of basic seed of varieties other than hybrids

— for the production of certified seed

Gossypium hirsutum and/or Gossypium barbadense:

— for the production of basic seed of parental lines of Gossypium hirsutum

— for the production of basic seed of parental lines of Gossypium barbadense

— for the production of certified seed of intraspecific hybrids of Gossypium hirsutum

— for the production of certified seed of intraspecific hybrids of Gossypium barbadense

400 m

200 m

200 m

500 m

100 m

300 m

5 000 m

1 000 m

1 500 m

750 m

500 m

600 m

800 m

200 m

600 m

— for the production of certified seed of interspecific hybrids of Gossypium hirsutum and

600 m’

Gossypium barbadense

(c) point 3 is replaced by the following:

‘3. The crop shall have sufficient varietal identity and varietal purity or, in the case of a crop of an inbred line,

sufficient identity and purity as regards its characteristics.

For the production of seed of hybrid varieties, the abovementioned provisions shall also apply to the character-
istics of the components, including male sterility or restoration of fertility.

In particular, crops of Brassica juncea, Brassica nigra, Cannabis sativa, Carthamus tinctorius, Carum carvi, Gossypium
spp. and hybrids of Helianthus annuus and Brassica napus shall conform to the following standards or other
conditions:

A. Brassica juncea, Brassica nigra, Cannabis sativa, Carthamus tinctorius, Carum carvi and Gossypium spp. other than

hybrids:

the number of plants of the crop species which are recognisable as obviously not being true to the variety
shall not exceed:

— one per 30 m2 for the production of basic seed,

— one per 10 m2 for the production of certified seed;

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B. hybrids of Helianthus annuus:

(a) the percentage by number of plants which are recognisable as obviously not being true to the inbred

line or to the component shall not exceed:

(aa) for the production of basic seed:

(i)

inbred lines

(ii) simple hybrids:

— male parent, plants which have shed pollen while 2 % or more of the female

plants have receptive flowers

— female parent

(bb) for the production of certified seed:

— male component, plants which have shed pollen while 5 % or more of the female

plants have receptive flowers

— female component

0,2 %

0,2 %

0,5 %

0,5 %

1,0 %

(b) the following other standards or conditions shall be satisfied for the production of seed of hybrid

varieties:

(aa) sufficient pollen shall be shed by the plants of the male component while the plants of the female

component are in flower;

(bb) where the female component plants have receptive stigmas, the percentage by number of female

component plants which have shed pollen or are shedding pollen shall not exceed 0,5 %;

(cc) for the production of basic seed the total percentage by number of plants of the female compo-
nent which are recognisable as obviously not being true to the component and which have shed
pollen or are shedding pollen shall not exceed 0,5 %;

(dd) where the condition laid down in Annex II(I)(2) cannot be satisfied, the following conditions shall
be satisfied: a male-sterile component shall be used to produce certified seed by using a male
component which contains a specific restorer line or lines so that at least one third of the plants
grown from the resulting hybrid will produce pollen which appears normal in all respects;

C. hybrids of Brassica napus, produced using the male sterility:

(a) the percentage by number of plants which are recognisable as obviously not being true to the inbred

line or to the component shall not exceed:

(aa) for the production of basic seed

(i)

inbred lines

(ii) simple hybrids

— male component

— female component

(bb) for the production of certified seed

— male component

— female component

0,1 %

0,1 %

0,2 %

0,3 %

1,0 %

(b) male sterility shall be at least 99 % for the production of basic seed and 98 % for the production of
certified seed. The level of male sterility shall be assessed by examining flowers for the absence of fertile
anthers;

D. hybrids of Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium barbadense:

(a) in crops to produce basic seed of parental lines of Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium barbadense, the
minimum varietal purity of both the female and male parental lines shall be 99,8 % when 5 % or more
of seed-bearing plants have pollen receptive flowers. The level of male sterility of the seed-bearing
parent line shall be assessed by examining the flowers for the presence of sterile anthers and shall not
be less than 99,9 %;

(b) in crops to produce certified seed of hybrid varieties of Gossypium hirsutum and/or Gossypium barbadense,
the minimum varietal purity of both the seed-bearing parent and the pollen parent line shall be 99,5 %
when 5 % or more of seed-bearing plants have pollen receptive flowers. The level of male sterility of
the seed-bearing parent line shall be assessed by examining the flowers for the presence of sterile
anthers and shall not be less than 99,7 %.’;

(d) point 5 (B) is replaced by the following:

‘B. In cases other than crops of hybrids of Helianthus annuus, Brassica napus, Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium

barbadense, there shall be at least one inspection.

In the case of hybrids of Helianthus annuus there shall be at least two inspections.

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In the case of hybrids of Brassica napus there shall be at least three inspections: the first shall be made before
the flowering stage, the second at the early flowering stage and the third at the end of the flowering stage.

In the case of hybrids of Gossypium hirsutum and/or Gossypium barbadense there shall be at least three inspec-
tions: the first shall be made at the early flowering stage, the second before the end of the flowering stage and
the third at the end of the flowering stage after removal, where appropriate, of the pollen parent plants.’

2. Annex II 1 is amended as follows:

(a) in point 1 the words ‘other than hybrids’ are inserted after the words ‘Brassica napus’;
(b) the following point 1a is inserted after point 1:

‘1a.

In the case of hybrids of Brassica napus produced using male sterility the seed shall conform with the condi-
tions and standards set out in points (a) to (d).

(a) The seed shall have sufficient identity and purity as regards the varietal characteristics of its compo-

nents, including male sterility or restoration of fertility.

(b) The minimum varietal purity of the seed shall be:

— basic seed, female component

— basic seed, male component

— certified seed

99,0 %,

99,9 %,

90,0 %.

(c) Seed shall not be certified as certified seed unless due account has been taken of the results of official
post-control plot tests on samples of basic seed taken officially and carried out during the growing
season of the seed entered for certification as certified seed to ascertain whether the basic seed has met
the requirements for basic seed laid down in respect of identity as regards the characteristics of the
components, including male sterility, and the standards for basic seed laid down in respect of the
minimum varietal purity laid down in point (b).

In the case of basic seed of hybrids, the varietal purity may be assessed by appropriate biochemical
methods.

(d) The standards in respect of the minimum varietal purity laid down in point (b) in respect of certified
seed of hybrids shall be monitored by official post-control tests on an appropriate proportion of
samples taken officially. Appropriate biochemical methods may be utilised.’

3. In Annex IV (A), the following point (aa) is inserted after point (a):

‘(aa) For certified seed of a varietal association:

the information required under section (a), except that instead of the name of the variety, the name of the
varietal association shall be (information “varietal association” and its name) and the percentages by weight of
the various components shown by variety shall be given; it shall be sufficient to give the name of the varietal
association if the percentage by weight has been notified in writing to the purchaser, on request, and officially
recorded.’