Border delays pose threat to crop trials

Delays caused by changes to seed import rules threaten to undermine the latest oilseed rape variety trials.

Brexit rules mean seed entering the UK since the end of April can now be regarded as high-risk – resulting in delays and inspections at a border control points before it can move on to its destination.

This is especially problematic for new oilseed rape varieties coming from the EU because of the very narrow window for harvesting the crop, processing the resultant seed, and moving it to be sown in official UK trials.

The trials are designed to test the seed for distinctness, uniformity, stability, and value for cultivation. The deadline for rape seed entered into official trials to be on site for sowing this year was 10 August.

Year-long wait

But consignments of seed which were harvested and processed in EU countries were stopped and held at the border for officials to decide whether and how they should be inspected.

The trials are a key part of testing new crop varieties before they can be marketed to growers. If a variety misses the deadline, it could delay it reaching the market by a year, but it also jeopardises the wider operation of the trials.

With the deadline rapidly approaching, the situation proved frustrating and potentially costly for plant breeders already facing a number of additional bureaucratic barriers to innovation and crop development in the UK.

British Society of Plant Breeders head of policy Anthony Hopkins said: “Oilseed rape is a crop under many pressures. UK growers and supply chains stand to lose out if they face delays in being able to grow the latest and best varieties.”

Higher costs

All new plant varieties must be tested to make sure they are distinct, sufficiently uniform and stable before they can be added to the UK National List and marketed to British growers.

Seed imports arriving in Britain last month were held at the border for the first time since the new rules came into effect – leaving plant breeders with a logistical challenge and scrambling to work out how long the delays would be.

The border changes are also affecting a number of other arable and horticultural crops – including beans, maize, and tomatoes. Without action, breeders said growers of those crops would also continue to suffer.

The BSPB has been calling for Defra to change the way the processes work since they were announced in March of this year, or UK growers will continue to be disadvantaged and face higher costs.