About us
Breeders Trust is an organisation of 12 seed potato breeding companies from Germany, the Netherlands, France, Scotland and Denmark. It concerns AGRICO, CYGNET, DANESPO, EUROPLANT, GERMICOPA, HZPC, INTERSEED, MEIJER POTATO, NORIKA, SCHAAP, SOLANA and STET HOLLAND. These companies are active in developing, producing and trading new potato varieties. Breeders Trust has started in 2008. Since 2011, also 10 grass seed companies have joined Breeders Trust. These companies are active in breeding, producing and trading grass seeds and fodder and manure crops.
BREEDERS TRUST follows the General Data Protection Regulation (AVG) when obtaining and processing personal data via the internet. This law helps to protect the privacy of individuals. More information can be found here .
The objectives of Breeders Trust are:
To support its participating companies in the implementation and enforcement of their Plant Breeders’ Rights protection and reduce the illegal trade in plant propagation material.
To see that license fees are paid for the multiplication of varieties and that production and trade takes place within the applicable legislation.
Informing growers and supply chains concerning the risks .....
To see that license fees are paid for the multiplication of varieties and that production and trade takes place within the applicable legislation.
Informing growers and supply chains concerning the risks .....
participants
12 potato breeding companies and 10 grass breeding companies
seed potato companies
Click on the button above for an overview of the global operating Seed Potato breeding companies who are Shareholder of Breeders Trust.
grass seed companies
Click on the button above for an overview of the global operating Grass Seed breeding Companies who are Member of Breeders Trust.
PIRACY
Report infringement / piracy here!
Piracy (infringement of Plant Breeders’ Rights) is also a major problem in the seed potato sector. Something that is successful will always run the risk of being unwantedly copied. Plant breeders lose out on a portion of their income that way, by not being paid for the use of their exclusive legal property and through disruption of the market due to the illegal trade in non-certified propagation of seed potatoes). The plant breeder does have the option, though, of legally protecting his new variety against this form of piracy. Legally protected seed potato varieties fall under the so-called Plant Breeders’ Rights (PBR) act. In the EU, a variety can be protected under the PBR act for a period of 30 years.
Piracy is stealing from the breeder who direly needs the licensing fees to recoup his made investments, in order to be able to continue to focus on the development of new plant varieties. Breeders Trust takes firm action against breeders and traders who make profit this way, people who are fully aware that they are violating the rights of other plant breeders.
* Euroseeds-BT Tool Kit Seed Potatoes
* Euroseeds-BT Tool Kit Grasses
* Euroseeds-BT Tool Kit Grasses_What-to-do-in-case-of-suspected-Seed-Fraud
You can report piracy (infringement of Plant Breeders’ Rights) by clicking here or by contacting the secretariat of Breeders Trust in Brussels by letter, email or telephone. You can be assured that Breeders Trust will fully respect your privacy at all times.
Press releases
Below the 12 most recent new items. Click on tilte to read.
Breeders Trust reaches settlement with Belgian farm saved seed grower
Brussels, June 19, 2024. During proceedings before the Liège corporate court, Breeders Trust reached a settlement with a Belgian farm saved seed potato grower. The potato grower, living in Glemboux, Wallonia, refused to pay royalties on the area planted with farm saved seeds of the variety Innovator, protected by plant breeders’ rights. The potato grower[…]
13 organizations sign historic agreement to fight illegal seed practices
Rotterdam, the Netherlands — The International Seed Federation (ISF) joined forces with 12 organizations representing and defending the interests of plant breeders worldwide to collaborate in the fight against illegal seed practices (ISP) through a historic memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed today at the ISF World Seed Congress 2024. The organizations participating are ISF, the African[…]
Corné van Beers new director of Breeders Trust
Brussels, 22 December 2023 As of 1 January 2024, Corné van Beers (53) will be appointed as General Director of Breeders Trust Ltd company located in Brussels. Corné succeeds Geert Staring, who has reached his retirement age. Breeders Trust was founded in 2008 and currently consists of 12 leading European seed potato breeding companies. Since[…]
BREEDERS TRUST expanded with new German member
Brussels, November 16th 2023: the German seed company P.H. Petersen Saatzucht Lundsgaard GmbH recently joined the Brussels-based Breeders Trust at the autumn meeting. It was recently held on Malta, where the members agreement was signed. Matz Petersen, general director of the German P.H. Petersen Saatzucht Lundsgaard GmbH states: ‘I am proud of becoming a member[…]
Fraudulent Polish Grass Seed placed on EU market
Brussels, December 6th 2022: The Brussels-based Breeders Trust represents the interests of plant breeders rights of the most prominent Western European grass seeds breeding and trading companies. Breeders Trust states that in recent years they repeatedly came to the conclusion that certified seed of one of the biggest selling perennial ryegrass varieties, namely Bokser, in[…]
Using Remote Sensing techniques to recognise potato varieties
Brussels, 4 October 2021. In the September edition (page 48 -50) of the European Seed magazine (https://european-seed.com, @EuropeanSeed), Geert Staring, director Breeders Trust explains together with Guido Mangnus, director Geo4A, the spectacular results of the first years’ pilot project ‘Using Remote Sensing techniques to recognise potato varieties’. More information you can read by clicking here[…]
Breeders Trust invests in variety recognition using Geo4A satellite technology
Joint P R E S S R E L E A S E Marknesse – Brussels, 25 June 2020: the Brussels-based Breeders Trust today signed a major contract with Geo4A, a subsidiary of the Austrian company GeoVille. GeoVille specialises in the data processing of satellite images and is a leader in the field within Western[…]
BREEDERS TRUST expanded with two new German members
Tipperary, 4 March 2020: German seed companies Rudloff Feldsaaten and L. Stroetmann Saat recently joined the Brussels-based Breeders Trust at the spring meeting in Tipperary, Ireland. Rudloff Feldsaaten is specialised in the production and worldwide trade of grass, mustard and fodder radish seeds. In addition, they also have a division focused on the[…]
Video interview Breeders Trust by European Seed
On October 12, 2019, Geert Staring, general director of Breeders was interviewed by ‘European Seed’: European Seed is the premier issues forum for seed industry leaders. In an recently held interview with Marcel Bruins (editorial director) in Stockholm, Geert Staring explains where Breeders Trust stands for and how he looks at illegalities, infringement and enforcement[…]
Vandinter Semo new member of BREEDERS TRUST
Scheemda – Brussels, July 4 2019: Vandinter Semo in Scheemda has joined the Brussels-based Breeders Trust as an associate grass seed member as of July 1 2019. Vandinter Semo is specialised in the production and worldwide trade of mainly grass, mustard and fodder radish seeds and fully endorses the importance of fair production and trade[…]
SCHAAP HOLLAND, New Shareholder in BREEDERS TRUST
Biddinghuizen – Brussels Mai 24 2019: In order to continue growing its ambitious, internationally-oriented breeding program responsibly, the family-run company SCHAAP HOLLAND B.V. in Biddinghuizen, acquired 5% of the Brussels-based Breeders Trust shares earlier this week. Breeders Trust was founded in 2008 to monitor the enforcement of Plant Breeders’ Rights. Every year, millions of euros[…]
Fraud with forged NAK seed potato certificates has far-reaching consequences for the potato chain
Brussels, 6 May 2019. Shortly after it became clear last month that falsified seed potatoes certificates of the Dutch Seed potato inspection Service ,NAK (Nederlandse Algemene Keuringsdienst) were in circulation in the Netherlands and Belgium, Breeders Trust, in close cooperation with the NAK, succeeded in a short time to trace the perpetrators and was able[…]
