Bundessortenamt
Bundessortenamt is the German federal government agency under BMEL that grants plant breeders' rights and national variety listings, conducts DUS/VCU testing, manages three German Gene Bank networks, and serves plant breeders, seed companies, and agricultural researchers across Germany and internationally via UPOV and OECD frameworks.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1948
- HeadquartersHanover, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Bundessortenamt does
Bundessortenamt (Federal Plant Variety Office / BSA) is a German federal government agency under the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), headquartered in Hannover with seven additional testing stations across Germany (Dachwig, Haßloch, Magdeburg, Nossen, Scharnhorst, Wurzen, plus the Hannover Prüfstelle). Founded in 1948 and operating as the sole German competent authority for plant breeders' rights (Sortenschutz) and national variety listing (Sortenzulassung), the agency conducts statutory DUS (Distinctness, Uniformity, Stability) and VCU (Value for Cultivation and Use) testing, issues certificates, and grants approvals under OECD seed schemes for international variety multiplication outside contracting states. Core products include Plant Breeders' Rights, National Listing, Variety Databases, Descriptive Variety Lists, OECD Seed Scheme Forms, Suitability Tests for Turf Grasses, official certificates (EUR 20 each), VCU Testing Reports, and Organic Heterogeneous Material (ÖHM) notification services under EU Regulation 2018/848.
The agency's revenue model is fee-based and statutory, governed by the National Fee Law (BGebG) and Special Fee Law (BMELBGebV). Revenue streams include Plant Breeders' Rights fees (application, annual protection), National Listing fees (application, annual monitoring, testing, prolongation), one-time certificate issuance (EUR 20), sales of Descriptive Variety Lists and VCU Testing Guidelines (EUR 7.00-15.00 per booklet with volume discounts), turf grass testing fees (EUR 60-150 per trial site/year administered through SFG mbH with a 9% administrative charge), and expenditures for information/extract services. Distribution is exclusively direct: applications submitted via electronic forms, post, fax, or email; OECD forms require breeder numbers and passwords via secure HTTPS; physical publications ordered through an online storefront with domestic and international shipping. Bundessortenamt serves plant breeders, seed companies and traders, gene bank network partners (including Julius Kühn-Institut), agricultural professionals, and researchers across Germany, the EU (via CPVO), and international jurisdictions via OECD and UPOV.
Beyond regulatory services, Bundessortenamt coordinates three decentralized German Gene Bank networks - Deutsche Genbank Zierpflanzen (DGZ, 2009), Deutsche Genbank Obst (DGO, 2007), and Deutsche Genbank Reben (DGR, 2010) - and multiple subnetworks (Hydrangea 2016, Lilium 2017, Pelargonium 2019, Magnolia 2021, Ericeae), plus the Plant Collection Network (NWPS) since June 2017. The agency participates in international frameworks including UPOV, OECD seed schemes, CPVO testing, EU Regulation 2018/848, ECPGR, and RIBESCO. It is GDPR-compliant and operates as a stable public-sector institution with a leadership transition effective February 1, 2026 (Karin Riemer succeeding Elmar Pfülb as President).
Bundessortenamt firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bundessortenamt
- Legal name
- Bundessortenamt
- Website
- https://bundessortenamt.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1948
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Bundessortenamt is the German federal government agency under BMEL that grants plant breeders' rights and national variety listings, conducts DUS/VCU testing, manages three German Gene Bank networks, and serves plant breeders, seed companies, and agricultural researchers across Germany and internationally via UPOV and OECD frameworks.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bundessortenamt industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agricultural Regulatory Services
- NAICS
- Regulation of Agricultural Marketing and Commodities (92614)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Seed Testing, Certification & Quality Assurance (Germination, Purity, Phytosanitary) (AFABAFAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Seed Quality Testing & Certification Services (AFAGAIAI), Seed Quality Testing & Certification Support (Germination, Purity, Vigor) (AFAOADAK), Seed Testing, Treatment & Certification Services (AFAMADAI)
Keywords
Where Bundessortenamt is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hanover
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices8 records
Markets served
Bundessortenamt business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Plant Breeders' Rights Fees: Fees charged for processing plant breeders' rights applications, annual protection fees for protected varieties, and related administrative services. This is a core government service funded by applicants seeking intellectual property protection for plant varieties.
- National Listing Fees: Fees for variety listing applications, annual monitoring fees for listed varieties, testing fees for each year of testing, and prolongation fees. Covers the cost of conducting value for cultivation and use (VCU) testing.
- Certificate Issuance: Issuance of certificates for plant breeders' rights and national listing at €20 per certificate. Available to rights holders, breeders, and additional breeders of varieties.
- Descriptive Variety Lists and Publications: Sale of printed publications including Descriptive Variety Lists (Getreide, Mais, Öl- und Faserpflanzen, Kartoffel, Rasengräser, Futtergräser, Reben, Obst) and VCU Testing Guidelines. Unit prices range from €7.00-15.00 with volume discounts available.
- Turf Grass Testing Fees: Fees for suitability tests for turf grasses charged per trial site and year: Home Use €100, Sports Use €120, Low-maintenance €60, Close mowing €150. Administered through Sortenförderungsgesellschaft mbH (SFG).
- Expenditures and Extracts: Costs for providing information about non-own varieties, extracts from national list, plant breeders' rights register, and other documents.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Certificate issuance for plant breeders' rights and national listing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Descriptive Variety Lists and VCU Testing Guidelines |
| Unit Pricing | Annual | Turf Grass Cultivation Testing - Home Use |
| Unit Pricing | Annual | Turf Grass Cultivation Testing - Sports Use |
| Unit Pricing | Annual | Turf Grass Cultivation Testing - Low-maintenance |
| Unit Pricing | Annual | Turf Grass Cultivation Testing - Close Mowing |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Expenditures for information services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Bundessortenamt product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bundessortenamt is the German federal authority that grants Plant Breeders' Rights (Sortenschutz) and approves National Listing (Sortenzulassung) for plant varieties based on DUS and VCU testing. It provides seed certification oversight, OECD seed scheme approvals, official certificates, descriptive variety lists, and coordinates three German Gene Bank networks (ornamentals, fruit crops, vines) for plant genetic resource conservation.
Product overview
Bundessortenamt (Federal Plant Variety Office) is Germany's official government agency for plant variety protection and seed certification. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected regulatory and testing services centered around Plant Breeders' Rights (Sortenschutz) and National Listing (Sortenzulassung). Core offerings include DUS and VCU testing services, variety databases, Descriptive Variety Lists, and OECD Seed Scheme approval processes. Additionally, the agency manages three German Gene Banks covering ornamental plants, fruit crops, and vines as part of national plant genetic resource conservation. Testing services extend to turf grass suitability evaluation, with support for organic heterogeneous material notification under EU organic regulations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Deutsche Genbank Zierpflanzen (German Gene Bank for Ornamentals): A decentralized gene bank network for conserving ornamental plant genetic resources, founded in 2009.
- Deutsche Genbank Obst (German Gene Bank for Fruit Crops)
- Deutsche Genbank Reben (German Gene Bank for Vines)
Companies that use Bundessortenamt
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Bundessortenamt technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature5 records
Bundessortenamt partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, moderate and core.
- Subnetwork Magnolia PartnersminorFounded in 2021 as youngest subnetwork. Coordinated by Rombergpark Botanical Garden Dortmund. Preserves and documents Magnolia diversity in Germany's largest collection with nearly 120 accessions documented.
- Subnetwork Pelargonium PartnersminorOver 10 partners involved in documenting and preserving Pelargonium genetic diversity in decentralized collections. BSA conducts verification and description at Dachwig testing station. Coordinated by Julius Kühn-Institut since October 2019.
- Plant Collection Network (Netzwerk Pflanzensammlungen - NWPS)moderateCoordinated by Bundessortable since June 2017. Originally emerged from a project of German Horticultural Society (DGG). Provides platform for plant collectors to exchange ideas, increase visibility, and publish collection data.
- Subnetwork Lilium PartnersminorFounded in 2017. Coordinated by Stefan Strasser (Lilien-Arche Erlangen). Preserves historical and rare lily species and varieties with over 470 accessions documented in DGZ database.
- Subnetwork Hydrangea PartnersminorFounded in 2016 as first subnetwork of Gene Bank for Vegetatively Propagated Ornamentals. Coordinated by TU Dresden. Project verified and documented 640 Hydrangea accessions.
- German Gene Bank for Vines (DGR)coreFounded in 2010 as a gene bank network with Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI) as coordination centre. Bundessortenamt stores collections of vine species and varieties as one of the federal organizations in the network.
- German Gene Bank for Ornamentals (DGZ)coreFounded in 2009 as a decentralized gene bank network. Coordinates the Plant Collection Network. Manages subnetworks for rhododendrons, roses, seed-propagated ornamentals, vegetatively propagated ornamentals, and specialized plant groups including Lilium, Magnolia, Hydrangea, Pelargonium, and Ericeae.
- German Gene Bank for Fruit Crops (DGO)coreFounding member and collection partner in apple, cherry, plum, raspberry, blackberry, and strawberry networks. Coordinates gene bank network for raspberries and blackberries, and pear and wild fruit networks. Member of DGO expert advisory committee.
- Sortenförderungsgesellschaft mbH (SFG)coreAdministers turf grass suitability testing in cooperation with Bundessortenamt since 2005. Handles administrative tasks including application processing, financial management, and fee collection. Contact: Kaufmannstraße 71-73, 53115 Bonn.
- Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI)coreCoordination centre for German Gene Bank for Vines and founding partner in gene bank networks. Operates Geilweilerhof Grapevine Institute. Involved in Pelargonium subnetwork coordination.
- European Gene Bank Network for Ribes Species (RIBESCO)moderateParticipating partner contributing accessions for Ribes species to the Northern European Gene Pool managed by MTT (Finland). Part of European Programme on Cooperation for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR).
- European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR)moderateParticipating member contributing to European gene bank cooperation and data sharing through AEGIS (European Gene Bank Integrated System).
- Bundesverband Deutscher Pflanzenzüchter (BDP)moderateDeveloped joint concept for turf grass suitability testing with Bundessortable in 2004. Publishes Durchführungsbestimmungen jointly on their website.
- UPOV (International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants)coreInternational organization for plant variety protection of which Bundessortable is a member. Distributes UPOV Newsletter with latest updates to stakeholders.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Bundessortenamt competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- UPOV (International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants): International intergovernmental organization setting the framework for plant variety protection that national offices like Bundessortenamt implement. Bundessortenamt is a member and disseminates UPOV newsletters to German stakeholders.
- Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI) - Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants: German federal research institute under BMEL that coordinates the German Gene Bank for Vines and collaborates with BSA on Pelargonium and other subnetworks. Comparable federal plant-research mandate with shared regulatory interfaces.
- USDA AMS Plant Variety Protection Office: US equivalent issuing Plant Variety Protection certificates and managing the federal seed program. Comparable statutory mandate in plant variety protection for a major agricultural jurisdiction, with similar DUS testing approach.
Direct peers
- National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB): UK-based plant science organization providing DUS testing, VCU trials, and seed certification services on contract for the UK Plant Variety Rights Office. Closely comparable on testing methodology and fee-based service delivery.
- GEVES (Groupe d'Étude et de contrôle des Variétés Et des Semences): French official variety and seed testing body conducting DUS and VCU examinations for France's national listing system. Operates a similar federal-agency model with multiple testing stations and database publications.
- Naktuinbouw: Dutch inspection service for horticultural crops and seeds, handling variety registration, DUS testing, and seed certification for the Netherlands. Comparable testing, registration, and inspection services for plant breeders and seed traders.
- Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO): EU-level agency granting Community plant variety rights across all EU member states based on DUS testing. Directly comparable as the supranational counterpart to Bundessortenamt, with overlapping mandate and shared testing protocols.
- AGES (Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety): Austrian federal agency handling variety testing, seed certification, and plant health in a similar statutory framework. Provides a comparable national model for plant variety registration and DUS/VCU testing in the German-speaking region.
Regional players
- Agroscope: Swiss federal research body conducting variety trials and coordinating plant breeding research for Switzerland. Similar public-agency model for VCU testing and variety registration in a non-EU but DUS-aligned jurisdiction.
Others
- European Seed Association (Euroseeds): European seed industry trade association representing breeders and seed merchants. Bundessortenamt engages with Euroseeds' members through BDP and through joint regulatory consultations on seed marketing and certification.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Bundessortenamt social profiles
Digital presenceBundessortenamt compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Bundessortenamt financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bundessortenamt leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Bundessortenamt funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Bundessortenamt M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about Bundessortenamt
What does Bundessortenamt do?
Bundessortenamt is the German federal authority that grants Plant Breeders' Rights (Sortenschutz) and approves National Listing (Sortenzulassung) for plant varieties based on DUS and VCU testing. It provides seed certification oversight, OECD seed scheme approvals, official certificates, descriptive variety lists, and coordinates three German Gene Bank networks (ornamentals, fruit crops, vines) for plant genetic resource conservation.
Is Bundessortenamt a public or private company?
Bundessortenamt is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Bundessortenamt founded?
Bundessortenamt was founded in 1948. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Bundessortenamt based?
Bundessortenamt is headquartered in Hanover, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Bundessortenamt make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Plant Breeders' Rights Fees are the primary driver. The others are national Listing Fees, certificate Issuance, descriptive Variety Lists and Publications, turf Grass Testing Fees and expenditures and Extracts.
Who are Bundessortenamt's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are UPOV (International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants), Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI) - Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants and USDA AMS Plant Variety Protection Office. Direct peers are National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB), GEVES (Groupe d'Étude et de contrôle des Variétés Et des Semences), Naktuinbouw, Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) and AGES (Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety). Agroscope is listed as a regional player. European Seed Association (Euroseeds) is listed as an others.
Does Bundessortenamt have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bundessortenamt.
What industry is Bundessortenamt in?
Bundessortenamt's product category is Agricultural Regulatory Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFABAFAM, Seed Testing, Certification & Quality Assurance (Germination, Purity, Phytosanitary), with a secondary code of AFAGAIAI, Seed Quality Testing & Certification Services. Its NAICS code is 92614 and its SIC code is 700.