The International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) members consist of thousands of growers of flowers and ornamental plants around the world who are together united by one essential goal – promoting the place of plants in people’s lives.
AIPH hosts several conferences, webinars and events such as the International Grower of the Year award throughout the year. Read about these along with the latest news about the association’s activities.
AIPH’s key aim is to stimulate demand for ornamental trees, plants and flowers worldwide. We are committed to supporting growers in achieving this by protecting and promoting the interests of the industry.
We advocate fair and robust Plant Breeders’ Rights (PBR), encouraging innovation and rewarding quality so that growers can reap the benefits of their work
Importance of Plant Breeders Rights (PBR)
Through our Novelty Protection Group, we advocate a good working and strong plant breeders’ rights (PBR) system, encouraging innovation through good breeding work and rewarding quality of the propagating material, so that new varieties will be produced and will be available for growers and farmers. The availability of new varieties is very important, for society but also for breeders, growers, and farmers. Think of new varieties with disease resistance or herbicide resistance, plants that need less water, or can be produced in other climate zones.
We, as growers, share the interest of a good working PBR system with breeders and this large common interest is AIPH’s basis for consultation with breeders and their associations such as CIOPORA, ISF, ESA and Plantum. PBR has to be exercised and enforced in balance with the interests of all parties involved, this means breeders, multipliers, growers, producers, traders, retail, and even consumers.
Good working and balanced PBR system
Developments in the field of plant breeder’s rights are moving fast. More and more countries are realising that a strong ornamental plant sector is impossible without having a strong and balanced PBR system in place. That’s why AIPH is encouraging countries to accelerate the implementation of breeder’s rights and to bring their legislation into line with the UPOV-convention 1991, the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants. It is very important for breeders, multipliers, but also for growers and farmers that there is clarity on how the PBR system works and how to use it in their own daily business.
Relationship of growers and breeders
To improve the position and understanding of growers we supply a checklist for breeder and grower to make a license agreement for the commercial exploitation of protected plant varieties. This checklist helps growers and breeders to understand their position by explaining definitions and the different types of legislation used in the contracts. It also supports clear use of the commercial marks for variety indication in the sector.
We strive to ensure that breeders do not misuse their position as owners of intellectual property rights. New varieties are not always accessible to other growers through the use of exclusivity contracts and control of access to propagating material. It is very important for growers and farmers that they are supplied with propagating material from the breeders in time, in the desired/sufficient quantity and at reasonable and equal prices.
Download the checklist for breeder and grower to make a license agreement for the commercial exploitation of protected plant varieties.
In ensuring balanced rights for breeders, we maintain relations with other organisations in the field, including the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) of the EU and CIOPORA, the International Association of Plants Breeders. In line with the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) – convention 1991, we also drive lobbying to maintain the rights of growers and to resist legislation that would reduce innovation in the sector.
Since the use of biotechnology in plant breeding, the horticultural sector has to deal with the use of patent rights besides the use of PBR. In particular, the open-source system that all existing varieties can be used free for further breeding, the cornerstone principle of the PBR system, has come under pressure by the arrival of patent rights. The sector expects negative consequences from this for optimal breeding and innovation of propagating material. Therefore, in the coming years, the biggest challenge for the sector is to find solutions to how and by which system breeding innovation can be best stimulated.
We, as growers, take on our responsibility and support the industry in seeking to stimulate future breeding innovation by presenting solutions to finding a new balance between breeders’ rights and patents.
Sparring Partner Group (SPG)
To be able to do all this work in the PBR field, the Sparring Partner Group (SPG) of the Novelty Protection Group, is constantly informed about the latest developments, the juridical consequences, and possible solutions by the group chair. Thanks to these exchanges, discussions, and better understanding and awareness of the importance of PBR and the other fields of intellectual property right, we can support a good working PBR system at both the national and international levels and to contribute to future solutions and new balances.
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