The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced that it is finalizing a fee increase for its Plant Variety Protection Office.

The final rule will increase the general fees for application, search, and certificate issuance by approximately 20 percent. In addition, other fees and services listed in the general fee schedule will also be increased. Supplemental fees, which were established in May 2005, will not be affected by this rule. The current general fees, last increased in February 2003, are no longer adequate to cover current program obligations. The PVP Act of 1970, as amended, requires that reasonable fees be collected in order to maintain the program.

This final rule will amend regulations related to voucher seed samples. The rule will permit seed samples to be submitted directly to the public repository thus allowing for electronic submission of applications. A list of the revised fee schedule and direct seed deposit procedures may be found at http://www.ams.usda.gov/science/pvpo/pvpindex.htm.

The final rule will be published in the Sept. 16 Federal Register. Comments must be received on or before Oct. 17 2005. For further information, contact Paul Zankowski, Commissioner, Plant Variety Protection Office, Room 401, National Agricultural Library Building, 10301 Baltimore Blvd., Beltsville MD 20705, or via e-mail at: Paul.Zankowski@usda.gov.

USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service administers the Plant Variety Protection Act, which provides time-limited marketing protection to developers of new and distinct seed- reproduced and tuber-propagated plants ranging from farm crops to flowers. For additional information contact the Plant Variety Protection Office at telephone (301) 504-5518, fax (301) 504-5291 or the Internet at www.ams.usda.gov/science/PVPO/pvpindex.htm.