A study conducted by the European Union Intellectual Property Office in April found that there were marked positive effects as a result of the Community Plant Variety Right (CPVR) system which is being administered in EU by the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO).
CPVRs are a set of intellectual property rights that are granted to new plant varieties. The CPVO grants breeders a single IP right that is valid throughout the EU territory, which will be protected for either 25 or 30 years depending on the plant species. This system is the largest in the world.
The CPVR system is expected to contribute to the European climate, ecosystems, biodiversity, food safety, nutrition level, innovation, and R&D.
The study found that since the implementation in 1995 there has been a growth in agricultural output, and that if the rights system did not exist the level of production of crops in 2020 would have been lower. The trade position of EU was also improved, which is observed in the finding that in the absence of the rights EU would have been a net importer of crops for which it was a net exporter.
Additional production has also led to higher levels if employment which points towards a total gain of 90,000 jobs (not including indirect employment increase in upstream and downstream sectors). Wages of workers have also increased by more than 10%.
The system has also spurred research and development of new plant species, also leading to employment and economic activity. Many small and medium-sized enterprises are to ones registering new plant species.
More significantly, there have also been marked environmental effects with reductions in greenhouse gad emissions and reduced water usage in agriculture and horticulture.
All of this also leads to progress in line of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The system as a whole is said to guarantee a “fair level of intellectual property protection to plant breeders” and encourages breeders to innovate while addressing societal challenges in relation to sustainability, food production, growth and employment – as observed by Francesco Mattina, President of CPVO.
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