Duration of acceptance of plant varietiesU.K.
13.—(1) Subject to the following provisions of this regulation and regulation 14, the acceptance of a variety under regulation 5(3) or (5) is valid until the end of the tenth calendar year following acceptance.
(2) Provided the requirements of distinctness, uniformity and stability are still satisfied in respect of a variety the National Authorities may renew acceptance of the variety if they are satisfied that cultivation of the variety is on such a scale as to justify renewed acceptance.
(3) The National Authorities may determine an application for renewal of acceptance of a variety notwithstanding that any fee payable under regulation 10 in relation to the variety, whether in connection with that renewal or any other matter, has not been paid as so prescribed.
(4) An application for renewal of acceptance of a variety shall be made not later than two years before the date on which the acceptance is due to expire.
(5) Acceptance of a variety may be renewed more than once in accordance with this regulation.
(6) If an application for renewal of acceptance of a variety in accordance with this regulation has been made not later than two years before the date on which the acceptance is due to expire and the National Authorities have not determined the application before that date, the National Authorities may provisionally renew the acceptance for a reasonable period extending after that date to permit them to determine the application.
(7) The National Authorities shall inform the applicant of a determination made by them under this regulation relating to the application and of the reasons for the determination.