Press Release

OrganicXseeds now the official database in Bulgaria

Green light for registration of organic seed and propagating material in Bulgaria

(Frick, June 9, 2008) According to the EU Regulation on organic farming, European Union Member States must ensure that a database is established in which organic seed and seed potatoes can be registered. Recently, the Bulgarian Government decided to adopt the user-friendly internet database called “organicXseeds”, set up by the Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL).

OrganicXseeds is already recognized as the official database in Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. This database, now complemented with a Cyrillic version, handles about 10,000 seed products and has more than 1,000 visitors a week.

The use of "OrganicXseeds Bulgaria" is free of charge for all farmers and growers looking for available organic seed. Breeders and seed suppliers have to pay a yearly flat rate to list all their organic seed in the database.

The internet database can easily be browsed either by using the systematic search by categories or via the quick search for species or, respectively, varieties. Another option is to look for a certain seed supplier or breeder. With the search results, further information on the respective seed and seed supplier are made available. 

In the coming months, the Bulgarian version of organicXseeds will be filled with information on organic seed, seed potatoes and also vegetative propagation material on offer in Bulgaria. Farmers and growers as well as seed suppliers and breeders thus have full transparency on available organic seed – an important precondition for robust development of the organic seed market in the country.

Inspection bodies and authorities in charge may grant derogation for the use of non-organic seeds in case organic seed material is not available – the basis of such derogations is the listing of seed and propagation material in the database.

OrganicXseeds Bulgaria is available on the internet under organicXseeds.bg.

Contact FiBL

• Dr. Klaus-Peter Wilbois, database administration: FiBL Germany, E-mail, Tel. +49 69 713769976 (for all questions related to the database; communication in English/German only).
• Marlene Heeb, FiBL Switzerland, E-mail, Tel. +41 62 865 72 20 (for questions related to Bulgaria)

Contact Bulgaria

• Milena Nikolova, Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture and Food Supply, 
  E-mail: MNikolova@mzp.government.bg, Tel. +359 2 98511410
• Svetla Bossolova, Bulgarian Executive Agency for Seeds and Propagation Material
  E-mail SBossolova@iasas.government.bg, Tel. +359 2 9719495

Internet

• OrganicXseeds Bulgaria is available on the internet under
• www.organicXseeds.bg.

Relevant EU Regulations

• According to Article 6 of the EU Regulation on organic farming No. 2092/91 and the EU Regulation on organic seeds No. 1452/2003 (an amendment to Regulation No. 2092/91), European Union Member States must ensure that a database is established, in which organic seed and seed potatoes can be registered.
• Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2092/91 of 24 June 1991 on organic production of agricultural products and indications referring thereto on agricultural products and foodstuffs (Consolidated text)
• Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1452/2003 of 14 August 2003 maintaining the derogation provided for in Article 6(3)(a) of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2092/91 with regard to certain species of seed and vegetative propagating material and laying down procedural rules and criteria relating to that derogation

About organicxseeds

The organicXseeds database was set up by the Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) with the support of Coop Switzerland.

The establishment of the Bulgarian Version was financially supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Swiss State secretariat for economic affairs (SECO).

The organicXseeds database is recognized as the official database in Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.