EUROPEAN-SEED.COM I EUROPEAN SEED I 11 in June 2016, the Society has acted swiftly to assess the specific implications of Brexit for plant breeders, to seek legal advice on key issues, and to consult with members. This process identified the following five key Brexit priori- ties, and BSPB’s desired outcome in each case: PLANT VARIETY RIGHTS (PVR) EU Plant Variety Rights were first introduced in 1995 and virtually all seed royalties on UK-grown crop varieties are now collected under this EU-wide system. Continued investment in UK plant breeding will depend on a seamless transfer of all EU-protected varieties to UK-based protection at the point of Brexit, with the same variety name, priority and duration of rights. VARIETY REGISTRATION A single application under the current EU-wide variety regis- tration system allows new varieties to be listed on the ‘common catalogue’ and marketed in all EU member states. This system has served the industry well and supports access to crop inno- vation – BSPB will seek solutions that minimise additional costs and duplication of effort, such as mutual recognition of common catalogue and UK-listed varieties. SEEDS MARKETING UK seeds marketing legislation is already in place, broadly equivalent to EU-wide standards. BSPB is seeking no significant changes to the current system that has served the industry well and provides an independent assurance to growers of the purity, quality and varietal integrity of certified seed. To minimise costs and disruption for all concerned, BSPB will press for mutual rec- ognition of seed marketing standards and free movement of seed to continue without restriction between the UK and EU. GM AND PLANT BREEDING INNOVATION BSPB has long expressed concerns that research and invest- ment in the development of GM crops and new genome editing techniques have been stifled by a shift towards unscientific or politically motivated regulation at EU level. By contrast the UK policy environment is strongly supportive of agri-science and leaving the EU may present a fresh opportunity for Britain to provide a more enabling environment for agricultural science, innovation and R&D investment. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT Addressing the global challenges of food security, climate change and sustainable development will require continued interna- tional scientific collaboration and knowledge exchange. From a research perspective, the UK must safeguard access to EU R&D funding programmes, maintain straightforward research col- laboration between the UK and other EU countries, and enable the UK to continue to contribute to and benefit from the shared resources, data and infrastructure of the pan-European agri-sci- ence base. On all these issues, BSPB is engaging proactively with the UK government, other industry organisations and EU partners to promote the specific conditions and requirements for a competi- tive and dynamic British plant breeding industry outside the EU. On the whole, BSPB’s consultation with members suggests that the ideal outcome would be for plant breeding companies to scarcely notice the transition as reciprocal agreements on Plant Variety Rights, seeds marketing and variety registration are maintained between the UK and EU, and a free trade deal is secured. Furthermore, this aspiration applies across the BSPB mem- bership, irrespective of whether companies are headquartered or owned in the UK, on the continent or outside the EU. As indicated above, there may be scope for a post-Brexit Britain to be more evidence-based and enabling than Brussels in its regulation of future plant breeding innovation, but these long-term opportunities are simply dwarfed by the immediate imperative to maintain the regulatory and IP systems which sup- port current plant breeding activity in the UK. On the face of it there are grounds for optimism that such an outcome can be secured. Not only are the priorities for BSPB members shared by our counterparts across Europe, they also appear to be enshrined in the negotiating objectives of the UK government. The Brexit White Paper issued in early February 2017 includes some encouraging pointers. While it makes clear that the UK will leave the single market, taking control of its own laws and bringing an end to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in the UK, it also confirms that the UK’s general approach to preserving EU law will be to ensure that all EU laws which are directly applicable in the UK (such as EU regulations) and all laws which have been made in the UK in order to implement obli- gations as a member of the EU, remain part of domestic law on the day Britain leaves the EU. The Brexit White Paper confirms that “wherever practical and appropriate” the same rules and laws will apply in the UK on the day after it leaves the EU as did before. The UK government has announced plans for a separate White Paper on the ‘Great Repeal Bill’ to remove the European Communities Act of 1972 from the UK statute book and convert the body of existing EU law into domestic law. The White Paper reiterates the government’s aim to secure “the freest and most frictionless trade possible in goods and ser- vices” with the EU outside the single market and via “an ambi- tious and comprehensive free trade agreement”. It also stresses that Britain will seek to “continue to collab- orate with EU partners” on science, research and technology - a key part of the government’s recently unveiled industrial strategy. Acknowledging the genuine uncertainties facing commer- cial companies, the White Paper also states that it is “in no one’s Dr Penny Maplestone is chief executive of the British Society of Plant Breeders.