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Plant Improvement Act, 1976 (Act No. 53 of 1976)

22. Evaluation of variety

 

(1) The registrar may, if he or she deems it necessary, evaluate the usefulness of a variety for agricultural or industrial purposes.

 

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), the registrar may investigate—
(a) any variety in respect of which an application for recognition has been submitted in terms of section 16; or
(b) any variety of which the denomination has been entered in the varietal list.

 

(3) The prescribed quantity or mass of plants or propagating material of the variety in question required for the purpose of the evaluation—
(a) shall, in the case of a variety referred to in subsection (2)(a), be supplied free of charge to the registrar by the applicant at the prescribed time and place; and
(b) may, in the case of a variety referred to in subsection (2)(b), be procured by the registrar against payment from any person.

 

(4) The registrar may, in order to enable him or her to evaluate a variety—
(a) investigate the variety in the manner which he or she deems expedient;
(b) cause the variety to be investigated;
(c) use the results of tests and trials conducted with that variety and obtained by him or her in terms of an agreement referred to in section 15A.

 

(5) The registrar may, as a result of the evaluation of a variety—
(a) if an application for recognition has been filed with him or her, either recognise the variety or refuse the application; or
(b) if the variety has been entered in the varietal list, either retain it in the list or delete it.

 

(6) If plants or propagating material cannot be supplied or procured as contemplated in subsection (3), the registrar may—
(a) in the case of a variety referred to in subsection (2)(a), refuse the application for the recognition of the variety; or
(b) in the case of a variety referred to in subsection (2)(b), delete the variety from the varietal list.

 

(7) The registrar may at any time after an investigation in terms of this section has been undertaken, repeat the investigation.

 

[Section 22 substituted by section 18 of Act No. 25 of 1996]