Release No.: 239-14

Contact:

Peter Wood (202) 720-6179

WASHINGTON, Dec. 29, 2014 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that the Plant Variety Protection Office (PVPO) is seeking candidates for the Plant Variety Protection Board. The term of the present Board will expire in May, 2015. Nomination packages must be received on or before Feb. 6, 2015.

The Board advises the secretary about rules and regulations needed to facilitate proper administration of the Plant Variety Protection (PVP) Act; makes advisory decisions on all appeals before the PVPO; and advises the Secretary about questions related to section 44 of the PVP Act regarding public interest in the wide usage of a protected variety.

The Board includes 14 individuals who are experts in various areas of plant variety development. Members are appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture and include seed industry, public sector, and farmer representatives. PVP Board members serve without compensation, except for standard government reimbursable expenses. USDA encourages board membership that reflects the diversity of the individuals served by its industry. Diversity includes gender, race, disability, length of service, geographic location, and size and type of business.

The submission of a nomination package (an Application for Committee Membership (AD-755) and resume) should be made on or before Feb. 6, 2015. Please see http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/PVPO for more information and forms. Nominations should be sent to Paul Zankowski, Plant Variety Protection Office (PVPO), Science and Technology, AMS, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 4512, Washington, D.C. 20250; Telephone: (202) 720-1128; Fax: (202) 260-8976; Email: Paul.Zankowski@ams.usda.gov.