Regulations on organic heterogeneous material

Organic heterogeneous material (OHM) is marketable: First OHM officially confirmed by Bundessortenamt

At the beginning of February 2022, the Bundessortenamt officially confirmed the first OHM and notified it to the EU Commission and the Member States. Confirmed OHM are published in the "List of Confirmed Notifications of Organic Heterogeneous Material in Germany" (link below).

In order to market seed of OHM, OHM itself must be notified to the Bundessortenamt. In addition to the information on the crop species and the denomination of the OHM, the notification also includes information on the plant material and production method used, the soil and climatic conditions under which the OHM was produced and on essential agronomic aspects such as yield and resistances.

Further details on the notification procedure are set out in Announcement No 22/21 of the Bundessortenamt (link below). The form required for notification is located here:
https://www.bundessortenamt.de/bsa/en/form-notifizierung-oehm.

Organic heterogeneous material is described as a plant grouping of a species that has common phenotypic characteristics but at the same time a high degree of genetic and phenotypic diversity (heterogeneity). This heterogeneity is intended to enable OHM to adapt to different environmental conditions and to become more robust to diseases and pests. OHM must not be a variety or a mixture of different varieties.

In January 2022 the new EU Organic Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2018/848) came into force. Among others, it regulates the marketing of heterogeneous material produced under organic conditions. Specific requirements for production and marketing of OHM result from the Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/1189.