I wrote this as a one page summary for Fiona Hall, Leader of the Liberal Democrat MEP’s. Feedback via Jenny Woods was that she had heard from domestic gardeners, but that the impact on the nursery business was news to her. That’s a bit worrying…

Impact on small nurseries of proposed EU Plant Reproduction Material Regs
I run a small plant nursery in Cheshire selling older varieties of hardy garden plants as well as some new varieties. The nursery and garden are open to the public and we get about 7,000 visitors a year as a regional rural attraction as well as selling plants. I employ 5 part time staff.
At present we can propagate and sell these old plant varieties, based on ‘common knowledge’ and descriptions in books/websites/magazines etc. Hundreds of nurseries all over the UK do exactly this – it’s what fills shows like RHS Chelsea with such rich variety.  As with any other consumer product, if we supply the wrong thing, or it doesn’t grow as it should we stand responsible as retailers and everyone relies on normal consumer law to put things right.
But under the Plant Reproductive Materials regulations all plants will need a formal, detailed description to be written up and held for inspection. Of the 70,000 affected plants in the RHS Plant Finder which would be covered by these regulations, only about 2,000 currently have these descriptions (for breeder licence purposes). The new regulations were originally drafted for agriculture, where the costs and consequences of mis-supply can be huge. But horticulture thrives on difference, novelty and scarcity. People scour nurseries for the new and the re-discovered. Where agriculture needs certainty and conformity, ornamental horticulture needs creativity and diversity.
There is no need for such controls on ornamental plants any more than there is on bird baths and benches. Provided we produce plants within laws to protect employees, customers and the environment there is no call for external controls on what plants we decide to produce. The producer/retailer is responsible for selling what they described and that is all that is needed.
If the proposals go through as currently drafted, the consequences would be huge. Who would take on the task of writing all these descriptions, for no monetary gain? The people with the in depth knowledge to do it work in the very nurseries that would be affected. They would lose their livelihoods as plants fall off the supply lists and their skills and knowledge would be lost.  It would take decades, and most plants would fall off the availability lists before anyone got round to it. New plants would only be introduced if they could be sold by the hundred thousand, not the hundred, as now. Past and future diversity would be lost.
It is no help to provide my nursery with some sort of exception, because of my small size. I rely on larger wholesale nurseries to provide plants where I have insufficient stock material or where propagation is tricky.  These rules would affect around 80% of my plant range. If I had to stop selling them I would have to close the nursery and the garden as the remaining turnover would be too small
Every organisation and individual I have spoken in the ornamental sector here in the UK and in Europe agrees that ornamental plants should simply be taken out of the legislation altogether. They should never have been included in the first place.
I do hope that helps explain the situation from a nursery perspective. I would be very happy to clarify further if need be. Thanks for your time and attention
Sue Beesley, Bluebell Cottage Gardens and Nursery, Cheshire, 

November 27, 2013