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Adopted text

Production and marketing of forest reproductive material

TA-9-2024-0342 · P9_TA(2024)0342 · PE756.013

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Parliament's amended version of the proposed regulation on producing and marketing forest reproductive material (FRM) sets rules for approving basic material, certifying FRM categories, labelling, packaging, imports, and contingency plans. It aims to ensure high-quality FRM, support forest resilience and biodiversity, and adapt to climate change, while removing trade barriers and informing users about FRM suitability.

Key points

  1. Only basic material approved by competent authorities may be used to produce FRM; approval must consider sustainability characteristics and may use bio-molecular techniques.
  2. FRM may be marketed only in categories 'source-identified', 'selected', 'qualified', or 'tested', with specific requirements per category and for artificial hybrids or vegetatively reproduced material.
  3. Genetically modified FRM and NGT plants may be marketed only if in the 'tested' category, authorised, and labelled accordingly.
  4. Professional operators must be registered and provide users with information on FRM identity and suitability for climatic and ecological conditions before transfer.
  5. Member States must draw up contingency plans to ensure sufficient FRM supply after disasters, and establish national registers and lists of approved basic material.
  6. A master certificate must be issued for all harvested FRM, and FRM must be kept in lots with detailed identification; official labels are required for each lot.
  7. Seed units may be marketed only in sealed packages that become unserviceable once opened.
  8. Derogations allow approval by professional operators for source-identified material in extreme weather areas, provisional approval for tested material up to 10 years, and temporary authorisations for supply difficulties.
  9. Imports from third countries require equivalence decisions, advance notification via IMSOC, and accompanying certificates and labels; new certificates must be issued after import.
  10. Member States must report every 5 years on certified FRM quantities, contingency plans, and imports, and must lay down penalties for infringements.

Who is affected

  • Professional operators producing or marketing FRM must register, provide information, and comply with certification and labelling rules.
  • Competent authorities in member states are responsible for approving basic material, issuing certificates and labels, and drawing up contingency plans.
  • Users of FRM, such as foresters, will receive better information on suitability and quality.
  • Third-country importers must meet equivalence requirements and follow import procedures.

Figures and deadlines

  • Provisional approval for tested category basic material is for a maximum period of 10 years.
  • Member States must report every 5 years on various FRM aspects.
  • The regulation applies from 3 years after entry into force.

Legal basis: Article 43(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union