Summary
Do you want to market your plant or forest reproductive material (seeds, plants, cuttings, bulbs, etc.)?
If you are active in the territory of Wallonia, you cannot start your activity before you are registered. Accreditation is also required for certain activities. It is the Directorate for Quality and Animal Welfare (DQBEA) at SPW Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment (ARNE) that carries out this registration/accreditation process.
You must be registered in the database of operators active in the production and/or marketing of plant and/or forest reproductive material in Wallonia, i.e. material that is used for reproduction or, with regard to reproductive material for ornamental, fruit, forest or vegetable crops, for replanting.
ENSURING THE QUALITY OF PLANT AND FORESTRY PRODUCTION
Plant reproduction material contributes to productivity, diversity and the health and quality of our agriculture, our horticulture and our forests.
Our directorate, the DQBEA, is responsible for ensuring that high-quality reproductive material is placed on the market by:
- ensuring the technical and sanitary quality of this material
- ensuring the traceability of this material
- compliance with the regulations in force
- monitoring active operators and production on the ground
MANDATORY REGISTRATION
With a few exceptions (see below), registration is mandatory for everyone.
Once registered, you will be allocated an operator number in our database.
Your registration is valid as long as you do not report that you have completely ceased your activities.
Please note that:
- forestry contractors who invoice their customers for the seedlings they replant or forestry experts who invoice their customers for the seedlings they supply must register
- for the production of fruit plants and ornamental propagating material, it is not mandatory to be registered if you sell exclusively to amateurs and only without any intermediary
ACCREDITATION
Your business activity or sector of activity may need to obtain accreditation. For example: accreditation to issue plant passports, to be recognised as a négociant-préparateur (trader-preparer), as a small package packer, etc.
Accreditation is given on a yearly basis. It is renewed tacitly, on the basis of the monitoring procedures. In application of cooperation agreements, the authority carrying out field inspections is either SPW ARNE / the DQBEA or the FASFC (Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain).
In addition to the inspections, there are certain conditions you must meet to obtain and renew your accreditation. Find all these details under ‘terms’.
COST
The granting of accreditation and registration are both free of charge, but an annual fee will need to be paid, as well as inspection fees (where it is the FASFC that carries out the inspections) according to the production sectors concerned.
Visit the Agriculture Portal (‘Financial aspects’) to find out, sector by sector, the annual fees payable for carrying out the activities subject to accreditation or registration.
FORM TO COMPLETE
Do you want to start your activity, update your data or report the cessation of one of your activities? Follow the procedure available below and complete the form.
In detail
You are a natural/legal person wishing to engage in the production and/or marketing of plant and/or forest reproductive material in Wallonia.
Your sector of activity:
- agricultural and vegetable seeds
- potato plants
- vegetable plants
- fruit plant propagating material
- forest reproductive material
- ornamental reproductive material and ornamental plants
- grapevine reproductive material
- hop or kiwi plants
Consult the accreditation terms in the implementing ministerial decrees which define the technical standards for inspections in the various production sectors.
For the accreditation to issue plant passports, please refer to Regulation 2016/2031 (in particular Articles 65, 66, 69 and 78 to 95).
To obtain and keep your accreditation, you must also meet the following conditions, as applicable:
- comply with the regulations in force and the instructions provided by the DQBEA
- inform the DQBEA of the start and end of your activities
- allow the DQBEA to visit your company or companies and inspect the production process at any stage
- provide the DQBEA with all the necessary information
- communicate the location and surface area of the propagation plots
- present the seeds and/or plants for certification in accordance with the required standards
- for three years from 1 January following the date of the document, keep and make available to the DQBEA accounting records of incoming and outgoing potato plants
- keep the inspection documents used according to the DQBEA's instructions and the regulations
- allow sufficient time for the necessary samples for the DQBEA to be taken so that they can be tested in the laboratory, for audit fields to be established, and for the certification and commercial checks of the propagating material
- allow the DQBEA, unless there is formal and justified opposition to this, to make available to the public the list of registered operators and the address of their establishment unit(s) by publishing the list on the Walloon Region Agriculture Portal
Your application for registration and/or accreditation can be made in French, German or English.
Your application will be processed as soon as possible. We prioritise applications in line with the crop calendar. Send your application as early as possible.
STEPS
- Send an email to certification.semences.plants@spw.wallonie.be with the completed form and the related annexes (if necessary)
- You must tick the activity/activities carried out on the form
- You can have several operating units under the same registration/accreditation number
- We will notify you by return email or letter that you are registered as an active operator and, where applicable, of your accreditation(s)
- We will issue you with a registration number
- If accreditation is requested, a field survey will be organised by the DQBEA to check that you meet the conditions
- The accreditation number is identical to the registration number
INFORMATION YOU NEED TO PROVIDE US (for all sectors of activity)
- Nature of the application
- Identification of the operator (person/company)
- Identification of the establishment unit
- Nature of activities depending on your sector
INFORMATION YOU NEED TO PROVIDE US (for certain sectors)
- Information about the facilities (e.g. plots intended for production, working plan, type of facilities, etc.)
- List of propagating material produced in the first year (an annual statement will subsequently be required for vegetable plants, fruit plants and forest plants)
APPEALS
The procedures for appealing against decisions on accreditation, as far as such procedures exist, are set out in the implementing ministerial decrees. See the decrees under the ‘Legal references’ section.
- For the fruit sector, the DQBEA must reply to registration applications within 30 days of receipt of the application
- For other sectors, a reasonable time limit applies
- European Regulation 2016/2031 of the Parliament and of the Council of 26 October 2016 on protective measures against pests of plants, amending Regulations (EU) No 228/2013, (EU) No 652/2014 and (EU) No 1143/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Directives 69/464/EEC, 74/647/EEC, 93/85/EEC, 98/57/EC, 2000/29/EC, 2006/91/EC and 2007/33/EC
- Council Directive 66/401/EEC of 14 June 1966 on the marketing of fodder plant seed
- Council Directive 66/402/EEC of 14 June 1966 concerning the marketing of cereal seed
- Council Directive 98/56/EC of 20 July 1998 on the marketing of propagating material of ornamental plants
- Council Directive 1999/105/EC of 22 December 1999 on the marketing of forest reproductive material
- Council Directive 2002/54/EC of 13 June 2002 on the marketing of beet seed
- Council Directive 2002/55/EC of 13 June 2002 on the marketing of vegetable seed
- Council Directive 2002/56/EC of 13 June 2002 on the marketing of seed potatoes
- Council Directive 2002/57/EC of 13 June 2002 on the marketing of seed of oil and fibre plants
- Council Directive 2008/90/EC of 29 September 2008 on the marketing of fruit plant propagating material and fruit plants intended for fruit production
- Commission Implementing Directive 2013/63/EC of 17 December 2013 amending Annexes I and II to Council Directive 2002/56/EC as regards minimum conditions to be satisfied by seed potatoes and lots of seed potatoes
- Commission Directive 2014/21/EU of 6 February 2014 determining minimum conditions and Union grades for pre-basic seed potatoes
- Commission Implementing Directive 2014/20/EU of 6 February 2014 determining Union grades of basic and certified seed potatoes, and the conditions and designations applicable to such grades
- Decree of 27 March 2014 relating to the Walloon Code of Agriculture (FR)
- Walloon Government Order of 15 May 2003 on the production and marketing of forest reproductive material (FR)
- Walloon Government Order of 6 December 2012 on the production and marketing of seed of oil and fibre plants (unofficial coordination only available in french)
- Walloon Government Order of 9 February 2006 on the production and marketing of beet seed (unofficial coordination only available in french)
- Walloon Government Order of 9 February 2006 on the production and marketing of fodder plant seed (unofficial coordination only available in french)
- Walloon Government Order of 23 April 2009 on the marketing of fruit plant propagating material and fruit plants intended for fruit production (in french)
- Walloon Government Order of 9 December 2010 on certification in the hops sector (in french)
- Walloon Government Order of 20 March 2014 on the production and marketing of seed potatoes (unofficial coordination only available in french)
- Walloon Government Order of 19 October 2017 setting the fees and remuneration due for measures taken in relation to seed and plant production and marketing control; and the indexation notices (unofficial coordination only available in french)
- Walloon Government Order of 4 April 2019 on the marketing of propagating material for ornamental plants (in french)
- Walloon Government Order of 4 June 2020 on the production and marketing of vegetable seed (unofficial coordination only available in french)
- Walloon Government Order of 23 December 2021 on the production and marketing of cereal seed (in french)
- Ministerial Decree of 21 December 2001 establishing a regulation on the control and certification of fodder plant seed (only available in french)
- Ministerial Decree of 21 December 2001 establishing a regulation on the control and certification of beet seed of agricultural varieties
- Ministerial Decree of 21 December 2001 establishing a regulation on the control and certification of vegetable and industrial chicory seeds
- Ministerial Decree of 26 September 2016 implementing Walloon Government Order of 23 April 2009 on the marketing of fruit plant propagating material and fruit plants intended for fruit production (only in french)
- Ministerial Decree of 4 April 2019 implementing measures for the application of Walloon Government Order of 4 April 2019 on the marketing of propagating material for ornamental plants as regards conditions that such material must meet, labelling thereof and lists of varieties maintained by suppliers (only in french)
The procedures for appealing against decisions on accreditation, as far as such procedures exist, are set out in the implementing ministerial decrees. See the decrees under the ‘Legal references’ section.
Forms
Online
To download
Useful links
- Forestry nurseries sector – documents and forms, legislation, monitoring, plant health, links – Walloon Region Agriculture Portal page (only available in french)
- Agricultural seeds and plants sector – documents, legislation, monitoring, plant health, financial and technical aspects – Walloon Region Agriculture Portal page (only available in french)
- Ornamental nurseries sector – documents and forms, legislation, monitoring, plant health, links – Walloon Region Agriculture Portal page (only available in french)
- Export or import of reproductive material – documents and forms, legislation, monitoring, plant health, links – Walloon Region Agriculture Portal page (only available in french)
- Fruit plant nurseries sector – documents and forms, legislation, monitoring, plant health, links – Walloon Region Agriculture Portal page (only available in french)
- Use of plant passports and legislation on plant production – FASFC website (in french)
- Vegetable plants sector – documents, legislation, monitoring, plant health, varieties – Walloon Region Agriculture Portal page (only available in french)
- Forestry nurseries sector – documents and forms, legislation, monitoring, plant health, links – Walloon Region Agriculture Portal page (only available in french)
- Agricultural seeds and plants sector – documents, legislation, monitoring, plant health, financial and technical aspects – Walloon Region Agriculture Portal page (only available in french)
- Ornamental nurseries sector – documents and forms, legislation, monitoring, plant health, links – Walloon Region Agriculture Portal page (only available in french)
- Export or import of reproductive material – documents and forms, legislation, monitoring, plant health, links – Walloon Region Agriculture Portal page (only available in french)
- Fruit plant nurseries sector – documents and forms, legislation, monitoring, plant health, links – Walloon Region Agriculture Portal page (only available in french)
- Use of plant passports and legislation on plant production – FASFC website (in french)
- Vegetable plants sector – documents, legislation, monitoring, plant health, varieties – Walloon Region Agriculture Portal page (only available in french)