WASHINGTON, April 18, 2011 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that the Plant Variety Protection Board will meet May 11-12, 2011, in Beltsville, Md. The meeting will convene each day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in room 4-2223 of USDA’s George Washington Carver Center on 5601 Sunnyside Avenue.
The board consists of 14 experts in various areas of plant varietal development. Members were appointed by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and include seed industry, public sector, and farmer representatives.
“These members represent a cross section of the industry, and I am confident that producers of new plant varieties are well represented by them,” said Vilsack.
The board advises the Secretary of Agriculture about rules and regulations needed to facilitate proper administration of the Plant Variety Protection (PVP) Act; makes advisory decisions on all appeals from the examiner; and advises the Secretary about questions related to Section 44 of the PVP Act on public interest in wide usage of a protected variety.
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service administers the PVP Act, which provides legal protection in the form of intellectual property rights to developers of new and distinct seed-reproduced and tuber-propagated plants ranging from farm crops to flowers.
The meeting is open to the public. All prospective attendees are encouraged to pre-register with the PVP Office at 301-504-5518 before May 9. For additional information regarding the meeting, contact Natalie Worku, Plant Variety Protection Office, Room 401, National Agricultural Library, 10301 Baltimore Blvd., Beltsville, MD 20705 or send an e-mail to Natalie.Worku@ams.usda.gov.
Minutes of the meeting will be available for public viewing 30 days following the meeting and will be posted on the Internet.
The meeting notice and proposed agenda will be published in the April 18, 2011, Federal Register.
Follow us on Twitter to receive the latest press releases, stories, and important updates about the Agricultural Marketing Service.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272(voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).