117 



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/4MERI0M /ISBCJOAriON OF NURSERYMm 



1850 I STREET. N.W. / SUITE 500 / WASHINGTON. DC. 20005 / 802/789-2900 



June 8, 1994 



The Honorable Charles W. Stenholm, Chairman 

 Subcommittee on Department Operations 



and Nutrition 

 House Committee on Agriculture 

 1301-A Longworth House Office Building 

 Washington, DC 20515 



Dear Mr. Chairman: 



The American Association of Nurserymen (AAN) is the national 

 trade organization representing the nursery and landscape 

 industry. The National Association of Plant Patent Owners 

 (NAPPO) represents the foremost breeders of a broad array of 

 asexually-reproduced plants, which are protected by plant patents 

 in the U.S. AAN and NAPPO respectfully request that this letter 

 be entered in the official record of the May 24, 1994 

 Subcommittee hearing on H.R.2927, amendments to the Plant Variety 

 Protection Act. 



AAN and NAPPO recognize the need for U.S. agricultural and 

 horticultural producers to maintain, and indeed augment, their 

 competitive position in the global marketplace. Strong systems 

 for ensuring plant breeders' intellectual property rights are key 

 toward achieving this goal. We believe it is in the best 

 interest of American agriculture and horticulture for the U.S. 

 to join the 1991 UPOV Convention. 



In keeping with this belief, AAN and NAPPO wish to endorse 

 H.R.2927, a bill to amend the Plant Variety Protection Act of 

 1970, specifically to enhance intellectual property rights for 

 developers of seed-reproduced plants, and to permit the U.S. to 

 ratify the 1991 UPOV Convention. 



Relative to the specific issues of "incidental sales" and 

 "consent to sell saved seed," AAN and NAPPO generally support in 

 concept the report language offered by the American Seed Trade 

 Association (ASTA) . 



U.S. breeders of asexually-reproduced plants are world leaders 

 in the creation of new, improved varieties, ranging from apples, 

 peaches, grapes, and strawberries to azaleas, dogwoods, 

 chrysanthemums, and roses. Though passage of H.R.2927 and U.S. 

 ratification of the 1991 UPOV Convention will not directly affect 



Garden Centers at America /Horhcumjrrj Research ln$»ute /National AssoaoHon of Plant Patent Owners/ 

 National Landscape Association /Wholesale Nursery Growers of America 



