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Breeders Trust discovers international fraud with grass seed certificates

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Publish time: 3rd December, 2014      Source: Brussels, Belgium
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Breeders Trust discovers international fraud with grass seed certificatesBreeders Trust discovers international fraud with grass seed certificates" title="Share this link on Facebook">Brussels, BelgiumDecember 3, 2014The Portuguese inspection service ASAE has, after a thorough investigation by the Belgium-based Breeders Trust, impounded 21,000 kilograms of grass seed with forged Polish certificates. The fraud concerns at least 3 varieties of Westerwolds ryegrass which are marketed in various countries including Portugal and France. In response to the findings of Breeders Trust, the Polish Inspection service Piorin warned inspection agencies throughout Europe to be vigilant and, if necessary, block Polish parties of grass seed until there is certainty about the authenticity of the certificates.This autumn, after receiving a tip, Breeders Trust collected samples of the grass varieties Asterix, Jolly and Millenium in various European countries and ascertained that the Polish certificates were not genuine. Project manager Corné van Beers: “It is only possible to detect the forged certificates if you know which designations on the certificate have been changed”. At first glance, the forged Polish certificates appear normal. But as ever: “the perfect counterfeit does not exist”. The Polish inspection agency was extremely surprised and immediately took action, particularly since Breeders Trust had recently encountered forged Polish certificates in France. Additional study must reveal whether parties with forged Polish labels have also been brought into circulation in other European countries, said Van Beers.The grass seed world has reacted in shock to the discovery of the fraud with Polish certificates which has spread throughout Europe and has possibly been disrupting the market for some time.Breeders Trust director Geert Staring confirmed in a reaction that they will continue with the investigation and, in close collaboration with the national inspection services and investigation authorities, will do everything possible to determine the scale of the fraud and to discover the origins of the grass seed with forged certificates.About Breeders TrustBreeders Trust offers support to the participating companies in the field of fulfilling and maintaining the breeders' rights and contract terms. The company informs the seed industry on the risks deriving from the use of uncertified seeds and seedlings and on the rights and duties in this area. Breeders Trust actively monitors the payment of license fees for the propagation of legally protected species in the seed industry and verifies whether all players in the industry comply with the applicable rules. In doing so, Breeders Trust contributes to the continuity and development of new species where all players work within an equal framework. Breeders Trust’s current shareholders are 9 European seed potato warehouses. Breeders Trust's current participants in the grass seed industry are the grass seed breeding stations: Barenbrug Holding, DLF Trifolium, Eurograss, Germinal Holdings, NPZ Lembke, RAGT Semences en Saatzucht Steinach.More news from: Breeders Trust N.V.Website: http://www.breederstrust.eu/?page=Home&lang=ENPublished: December 3, 2014The news item on this page is copyright by the organization where it originatedFair use notice