National Listing and Plant Breeders' Rights: Consultation on revision of fees to achieve full cost recovery for statutory services

Overview

This consultation concerns fees for National Listing of new varieties and UK Plant Breeders’ Rights. Defra is carrying out the consultation for the UK on behalf of the Devolved Administrations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. 

The policy objective under consultation is to increase fees for National Listing and Plant Breeders’ Rights to recover the full cost from businesses using the services and to remove the cost to the taxpayer.

There are three options under consideration:

• Option 1    Maintain the status quo, no increase in fees
• Option 2    Increase fees to achieve full cost recovery in 2014
• Option 3    Phased fee increases to reach full cost recovery in 2016

The deadline for responses is 10 January 2014

Why your views matter

It is government policy to recover the full cost of providing statutory services from the businesses benefitting directly. However, estimated fee income in 2014 of £1.25 m for National Listing and Plant Breeders’ Rights does not match the Government’s estimated £1.59 m costs of providing the service. This represents a subsidy of £0.34 m per year to the plant breeding industry and a cost to the taxpayer.

What happens next

We are consulting widely, including businesses affected by the changes and      individuals, groups and organisations that may have an interest in National Listing and Plant Breeders Rights. The consultation document and annexes are available on the Defra website at www.gov.uk/defra. We have directly approached all businesses and organisations who have used these services in the past two years.

Responses to this consultation will be used to advise Ministers of the views of stakeholders affected by the proposals. A summary of responses will be published within 12 weeks of the closure of the consultation on Defra’s website at: www.gov.uk/defra