Interprofessional agreements and other initiatives

The SEMAE Potato Seedling Department groups professional federations of the seedling industry, which jointly decide on initiatives to implement for the benefit of all.

These decisions result in interprofessional agreements, reflecting the collective commitment of professionals to strengthen the industry.

Interprofessional financing agreement

A three-yearly extended interprofessional agreement determines the contribution rates for all the professionals in the seed and seedling industry, based on their activities. For the Potato Seedling Department, the agreement signed in 2018 for 2019 to 2021 was the result of many debates between the families to reach meet all parties’ needs. This joint agreement was renewed in 2021 of the contributions for the Potato Seedling for the 2022-2024 period, in the same terms.

Standard agreement for seed potatoes production

The standard agreement is the framework defined at the SEMAE level as the minimum applicable contract for seed reproduction and seedling production. It sets out the obligations of the farmer and the collector, as well as the approval and payment terms for the harvest. The specific clauses of the commercial contract cannot contradict the standard agreement. The latest version of the standard agreement and its annex for Potato Seedlings, applicable from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2028, has been thoroughly negotiated for almost a year with representatives of potato seedling growers and collectors.

Agreement for the production of farm plants

Since 2014, the production of farm-saved potato seedlings (tubers from a potato harvest intended for replanting) has been regulated by an interprofessional agreement covering two separate aspects: strengthening the means of seedling breeding for protected varieties, and maintaining the sanitary quality of the land for the production of farm-saved seedlings. This agreement applies to all producers of farm-saved seedlings (except for “small” farmers producing on less than 5 ha). They must pay a fee to SICASOV when using farm-saved seedlings of protected varieties, and comply with the same sanitary requirements as certified seedlings.

The renewal of the agreement for 3 years (2023 to 2025 harvests) was approved in 2022 and then extended by the public authorities at the beginning of 2023, following extensive discussions between the professional families involved.

Interprofessional agreement on recycling empty potato seedling packaging

Since 2021, after signing a dedicated interprofessional agreement, empty potato seedling packaging are collected and recycled by Adivalor on the French mainland.

Publishing economic indicators

In application of the Agriculture and Food law of November 1, 2018, the interprofessions have to implement economic indicators for the professionals. After several months of committee work, the Potato Seedling Council Department approved in November 2019 the creation of three indicators specific to the industry: an indicator dedicated to seedling production costs (based on a study by the FN3PT), the IPAMPA (INSEE) on the seedling price and an indicator for market supply. These indicators have since been published each year in an economic report specific to the seedling industry.