TystofteFonden is responsible for and coordinates the implementation of the statutory variety testing of agricultural plants and amenity grasses, as well as the certification of propagation material of seeds and seed grain.
The statutory variety testing includes a mandatory test of new varieties for registration on the variety list and an offer of testing with a view to obtaining plant variety protection.
TystofteFonden coordinates the daily administrative tasks relating to statutory variety testing, including the receipt of applications for variety list inclusion and plant variety protection, including case preparation steps such as cooperation with foreign countries regarding technical/professional cooperation, including the receipt and dispatch of reports, processing of name proposals, publication of ”Notices from the Plant Variety Board” and ”Descriptive Variety Lists”, as well as payment for delivered services.
Newly developed varieties are being investigated for their seternity, eStarted and sstability (SES), where the varieties are compared with known varieties on the market to determine whether they are distinctly different from the known varieties, and also that the individual plants of the variety have a uniform phenotypic expression.
Furthermore, the varieties in the value assessment are examined to ensure that the new varieties have improved yield, cultivation and/or quality characteristics compared to previously approved varieties.
As of 1 July 2020, the former Danish Agency for Agriculture, under the Ministry of Environment and Food, delegated the decision-making authority for the below to the Plant Variety Committee:
- Record of sorting list
- Plant variety protection
- Certification of propagation material
TystofteFonden acts as the secretariat for the Plant Variety Board.
Since 1 July 2020, TystofteFonden has been appointed to implement:
- SES testing – CPVO entrusted
- Value test
- Control cultivation
- Official sampling
- Official breeding control
Thus, TystofteFonden contributes to new, better, and clearly identifiable varieties with high-quality propagation material for Danish agriculture and for export – or TystofteFonden is the way for new varieties and seed.
The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, within the Danish Agency for Agriculture and Fisheries, oversees the fund's task execution.
