Public hearings on Plant Bills

The Western Cape Provincial Parliament’s Standing Committee on Economic Opportunities, Tourism and Agriculture will conduct a series of public hearings focusing on the Plant Improvement Bill [B 8B–2015] (NCOP) and the Plant Breeders’ Rights Bill [B 11B–2015] (NCOP). These public hearings will be conducted in accordance with the national Constitution and the Constitution of the Western Cape.

 

The Plant Improvement Bill seeks to provide for:

• The registration of certain types of businesses relating to plants and propagating material intended for cultivation and sale and the registration of premises on or from which such business is conducted;
• quality standards for plants and propagating material intended for cultivation and sale and conditions of sale of plants and propagating material;
• a system for national listing of plant varieties; the evaluation of plant varieties in order to ensure value if there is doubt in respect of the value for cultivation and use of plant varieties intended for cultivation and sale;
• import and export control of plants and propagating material; and
• a system for different types of schemes for plants and propagating material; and to provide for matters connected therewith.

 

The Plant Breeders’ Rights Bill seeks to provide for:

• A system where under plant breeders’ rights relating to varieties of certain kinds of plants may be granted;
• the requirements that have to be complied with for the granting of such rights;
• the scope and protection of such rights; and
• the granting of licences in respect of the exercise of such rights; and to provide for matters connected therewith.

 

The public hearings are arranged as follows:

 

DATE	VENUE	TIME
Tuesday, 18 April 2017	Callie de Wet Hall, Church Street, Robertson	09:30-12:00
Wednesday, 19 April 2017	Vicki Zimri Mulipurpose Hall, Bohemia Street, Citrusdal	08:30-11:00
Friday, 21 April 2017	Calitzdorp Town Hall, Miller Street, Calitzdorp	10:30-12:30

 

Interested persons and organisations are invited to attend and to participate in the public hearings. Written submissions and requests to make verbal presentations on such submissions must be directed to the standing committee’s Coordinator, Ms Zaheedah Adams, Tel 021 487 1641 or Email zadams@wcpp.gov.za. Written submissions and requests for verbal submissions must be received at least one day before the date of the specific public hearing.

Click here to download copies of these Bills.

 

Enquiries: Hon Beverley Schäfer, Chairperson: Standing Committee on Economic Opportunities, Tourism and Agriculture, Cell 083 598 3676 or Email bschafer@wcpp.gov.za.