OECD Schemes

The OECD Seed Schemes are intended to assist in the international trade in seed.  Their full title is "OECD Schemes for the Varietal Certification or the Control of Seed Moving in International Trade" and there are actually 7 schemes for different species of plants.  They are

• Grasses and legumes
• Crucifers and other oil or fibre species
• Cereals
• Fodder beet and sugar beet
• Subterranean clover and similar species
• Maize and sorghum
• Vegetables

Australia is a member of all but the Fodder beet and sugar beet, and the Vegetables schemes, so the Australian seed industry can obtain OECD certification for varieties of the species covered in the remaining 5 schemes.

The OECD recognises a government body as the National Designated Authority (NDA)  for each country which is a member of one or more of the schemes. In Australia's case, this is the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF).  DAFF has licensed the Australian Seeds Authority (ASA) to undertake the national management of the schemes, and ASA in turn has signed Authorisation Agreements with three organisations to undertake the actual certification activities.

The overall objective of the OECD Seed Schemes is to provide assurance to buyers of seed on the international market that the seed they are buying has been certified according to the rules of the OECD seed schemes, so they can buy in confidence that the variety they are buying is as close as possible to the genetic makeup of the variety as originally selected by the breeder.

The OECD Rules are available on line at www.oecd.org/tad/seed.

One of the key elements of all the OECD schemes is that the variety must be registered as eligible for certification.  For this to happen, the NDA must have a detailed morphological description of the variety, which enables it to be identified by experienced and trained field inspectors, and there must be a detailed management plan which outlines how many generations can be produced of that variety, and how many harvests of each generation are permitted.  Once accepted, the variety is placed on the OECD list of varieties eligible for certification, which can be viewed online at   http://www.oecd.org/document/14/0,3746,en_2649_33905_41097230_1_1_1_1,00.html

The OECD Seed Schemes include specific requirements for labelling of certified seed.  The usual generation traded is first generation certified and this is identified by a blue label, with lot specific information printed on the label. 

Aust Scheme

• the rules for post-control tests specified in the OECD Subterranean Clover & Similar Species Scheme shall apply for species eligible to be certified under that Scheme and will also apply to species of hard-seeded annual legumes certified under the OECD Grasses and Legumes Scheme using limited generation rules (berseem and rose clovers; biserrula and serradella); and
• for other annual species, all lots of Basic Seed must be post-control tested against a standard sample under the supervision of the certification agency.

The other significant difference is that different labels must be used.

The OECD rules are available on line at www.oecd.org/tad/seed

ASA Authorised Providers

The ASA has authorised three organisations to undertake seed certification activities in Australia.  These organisations can certify seed under both the OECD Seed Schemes and the Australian Seed Certification Scheme.  They are:

1. AsureQuality Australia
2. Seed Services Australia
3. AGWEST Plant Laboratories

Contact details for these organisations are as follows:

3-5 Lillee Crescent, Tullamarine, VIC 3043

(P.O. Box 1335, Tullamarine 3043)

Phone: (03) 8318 9000

E-mail address:   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website address: http://www.seedtesting.com.au/ 

Plant Research Centre, Hartley Grove, URRBRAE,  SA  5064

(GPO Box 1671, Adelaide, SA 5001)

Phone: (08) 8303 9549

Fax:     (08) 8303 9508

Email:   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Locked Bag 4

Bentley Delivery Centre WA 6983 

Phone (08) 9368 3721

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Eligible Varieties

Follow this link for the current List of Varieties Registered for OECD Seed Scheme Certification.

Follow this link for the current ASA NATIONAL LIST OF VARIETIES - 20Jan2012 eligible for certification under the OECD Seed Schemes and/or the Australian Seed Certification Scheme.