The Norwegian Food Safety Authority considers applications for the approval of plant varieties for National Listing. The Norwegian Plant Variety Board acts as an advisory body. The objective of the acceptance procedure is to ensure that marketed varieties are sufficiently adapted to the growth-conditions in Norway. As a rule, seeds can only be marketed if the variety is listed in the National list of varieties or in the EU Common Catalogue.
A plant variety can be approved only if it is distinct, stable and sufficiently uniform (DUS). The variety must be of satisfactory value for cultivation and use in Norway (VCU). The variety can be added to the National List of varieties if it has a suitable denomination and a maintainer. The closing date for applications is the 1.st of February.
The period of national listing expires at the end of the calendar year ten years after the year when the variety was first listed in the National list. The period of National listing can be extended when the continued use/growing of the variety is justified, provided that the variety is still distinct, stable and uniform. The application for the extension of National Listing must be submitted no later than two years before the expiration of the period of National Listing. The period of National Listing for the variety in question will be temporarily extended until the application for extension is considered.
Other rules apply for the approval of conservation varieties and vegetable varieties developed for growing under particular conditions.