Frequently Asked Questions

What is meant by a protected variety?

A breeder can protect a variety with Plant Breeder's Right (PBR). It is an intellectual property right similar to a patent that applies to crop varieties. A plant breeder's right gives the breeder the right to decide on the commercial use of the variety.

Protection is either national or granted for the entire EU area. National protection is generally valid for 30 years and EU protection for 25 years (except for potatoes, which are valid for 30 years). For more information, please visit the Finnish Food Authority website.

What is the FSS license fee based on?

The fee is based on the Finnish Plant Breeder's Right Act (1279/2009). According to it, a farmer has the right to use and produce, for propagation purposes, propagating material of protected varieties on the farm under his/her control, by paying a compensation. The obligation to pay the fee is formed at the time of sowing the seed. For more information, please visit the Finnish Food Authority's website.

Where does FSTA get information on varieties and hectares?

Information on FSS use is collected from subsidy applications that farmers submit to the Finnish Food Authority. Upon request, the authority hands over the information to FSTA for the purpose of collecting the fee.

On whose authority does FSTA collect the fee?

Plant breeders and their representatives operating in Finland have authorised FSTA to collect the fee on their behalf. The collected fee is then forwarded to plant breeders and their representatives.

From which crops is the fee collected?

The fee is collected for protected varieties of oat, barley, rye, wheat, triticale, pea, faba bean and potato.

What is the level of the fee?

For harvest year 2025, the licence fee for cereals and legumes is 6.05 euros/ha + VAT and for potatoes 25.10 euros/ha + VAT.

What are the hectare limits for collection?

The basis differs for nationally protected and EU-protected varieties.

For nationally protected varieties, the fee is payable on farms with more than 10 hectares of arable land. The exception is potato, where the fee is payable on farms growing more than 2 ha of potatoes or more than 1 ha of early potatoes under cover.

For EU-protected varieties, the fee applies to farms producing a calculated yield of more than 92 tonnes. In practice, the 92-tonne limit means farms with 30.67 ha in subsidy area A (south), 41.82 ha in subsidy areas B-C1 (south) and 70.77 ha in subsidy areas C2-C4 (north). The exception is potato, where the fee applies to farms growing at least 7 ha of potatoes.