Council Directive 69/208/EEC of 30 June 1969 on the marketing of seed of oil and fibre plants2 has been frequently and substantially amended3. For reasons of clarity and rationality the said Directive should be consolidated.

The production of oil and fibre plants occupies an important place in the agriculture of the Community.

Satisfactory results in the cultivation of oil and fibre plants depend to a large extent on the use of appropriate seed.

Greater productivity will be achieved in the cultivation of oil and fibre plants within the Community if for the choice of the varieties permitted to be marketed the Member States apply uniform rules which are as strict as possible. A common catalogue of varieties of agricultural plant species is therefore provided in the Council Directive 2002/53/EC4.

It is desirable to establish a uniform certification scheme for the Community based on the experience gained in the application of schemes in the Member States and those of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. In the context of the consolidation of the internal market, the Community scheme should cover the production of seed with a view to marketing and to marketing within the Community, and should offer no possibilities for the Member States to derogate unilaterally from the scheme in a way that would hinder the free movement of seed within the Community.

As a general rule, seed of oil and fibre plants should be allowed to be marketed only if it has been officially examined and certified, in accordance with the rules for certification, as basic seed or certified seed. The choice of the technical terms ‘basic seed’ and ‘certified seed’ is based on already existing international terminology. It should be possible under specific conditions to place on the market bred seed of generations prior to basic seed and seed as grown.

Community rules should not apply to seed shown to be intended for export to third countries.

In order to improve not only the genetic quality of Community seed of oil and fibre plants but also its external characteristics, certain requirements should be laid down as to analytical purity and germination.

In order to ensure the identity of the seed, Community rules on packaging, sampling, sealing and marking must be established. To this end the labels should give the particulars needed both for official verification and for the information of the user and should clearly show the Community nature of the certification of the certified seed of the various categories.

Rules for the marketing of chemically treated seed, seeds suitable for organic growing as well as for the conservation by use in situ of varieties threatened with genetic erosion, should be introduced.

Derogations must be permitted under certain conditions, without prejudice to the provisions of Article 14 of the Treaty. Member States making use of the derogations must mutually assist each other as regards inspection.

In order to ensure that both the requirements as to the quality of the seed and the provisions for ensuring its identity are complied with during marketing, Member States must make provision for appropriate control arrangements.

Seed, satisfying these requirements, should, without prejudice to Article 30 of the Treaty, be subject to no marketing restrictions other than those provided for in Community rules.

Subject to certain conditions, seed multiplied in another country from basic seed certified in a Member State should be certified as seed multiplied in that Member State.

Provision should be made for authorising the marketing within the Community of seed of oil and fibre plants, which has been harvested in third countries, only if such seed affords the same assurances as seed officially certified, or officially approved as commercial seed, within the Community and complying with Community rules.

During periods in which there are difficulties in obtaining supplies of certified seed of the various categories, seed of an inferior quality should temporarily be permitted to be marketed, and also seeds of varieties not included either in the common catalogue or in the national catalogue of varieties.

In order to harmonise the technical methods of certification used in the Member States and to enable comparisons to be made between seed certified within the Community and that coming from third countries, Community comparative tests should be established in Member States to permit annual post-control of seed of the various categories of ‘certified seed’.

It is desirable to organise temporary experiments for the purpose of seeking improved alternatives to certain provisions set out in this Directive.

If certain species of seed are not normally reproduced or marketed in the territory of a Member State, provision should be made for release of that Member State, under the procedure of the Standing Committee on Seeds and Propagating Material for Agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry, from the obligation to apply this Directive in respect of the species in question.

The measures necessary for the implementation of this Directive should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission5.

This Directive must not affect the obligations of the Member States concerning the deadlines for transposition of the Directives set out in Annex VI, part B,