The OECD Seed Schemes, established in 1958, are a set of international standards for field inspection and certification of the most important agricultural and vegetable species. Sixty-one countries are currently a member of at least one of the eight Schemes. One of the key issues for the OECD Seed Schemes is the emerging role of biochemical and molecular techniques (BMTs) in describing and identifying varieties. In 2019, participating countries approved a list of BMTs which can be used under the OECD Seed Schemes. The OECD Forest Seed and Plant Scheme, established in 1967, encourages the production and use of forest reproductive material that has been collected, processed and marketed in a manner that ensures their trueness to name. Advanced forest reproductive materials such as clones are playing an increasingly important role in certain parts of the forestry sector and therefore registration of this type of basic material has increased significantly. Certification of forest clonal material is increasingly challenging and BMTs may play a key role in their certification in the future. More information on these OECD Schemes, including related websites, publications and upcoming events, are provided in the latest issue (December 2020) of the OECD Biotechnology Update, prepared by the OECD Internal Co-ordination Group for Biotechnology. The newsletter provides updated information on activities, publications and events at the OECD. See http://www.oecd.org/env/ehs/biotrack/oecdbiotechnologynewsletterupdates.htm or contact [email protected] for more information.

09/03/2021