Italian fiber hemp varieties Carmagnola, CS (Carmagnola Selezionata) and Fibranova are back in the Italian National Catalogue of plants, a step required before the cultivars can be re-certified at the EU level.
The cultivars were removed from the European catalog of plant varieties in 2019 due to bureaucratic inattention, Assocanapa srl, which produces the seeds, said earlier this year. The varieties were never illegal for planting, but their return to the Italian catalogue means their legal status “has been renewed and guaranteed,” Assocanapa said in a statement this week.
Re-listings by autumn
A notice about the re-listings, which were preceded by agronomical tests on the varieties, was published in the Official Journal of the Italian Ministerial Order last week. “We now await the final step of the administrative procedure, that is the registration of the varieties back in the EU catalogue,” Assocanapa said, noting the EU list of certified hemp varieties is updated once every six months, so re-certification should be achieved by autumn this year at the latest.
The EU common catalog of plant and vegetable species identifies registered varieties of agricultural crops which can be marketed in the EU. Custodians of the varieties must constantly test them for stable THC levels (less than 0.2% by European standards), germination rates, and other characteristics.
Assocanapa srl, based in the commune of Carmagnola, Turin, in Italy’s Piedmont region, produces Italian hemp planting seeds under the control of Italy’s Council for Agricultural Research and Economics.
