We
think a European Commission proposal regarding plants could be extremely damaging
to garden centres if it is introduced.
The
EU is proposing that new plants will require a scientific description and must
be listed on an official register in order to be sold.
Our
Chairman, Peter Burks explained: “The EU says the idea behind the proposal is
not to restrict the choice of plants for sale. However, if nurseries and
growers can only grow plants that are already officially registered this will
dramatically reduce the number of different plants that can be sold in garden
centres.
“To
get a plant scientifically tested to gain the scientific description and add it
to the register looks to be incredibly expensive and unfortunately the end
result is this cost will be passed on to the consumer. Plants will undoubtedly
be more expensive to buy.
“Many
people who are interested in breeding new plant varieties are relatively small
outfits so they just won’t be able to afford the costs associated with growing
new plants. We are really hoping the proposal won’t become a reality.
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