Certified Cereal Seed Production stages:
1. Contract signed with seed grower. Basic seed delivered on farm.
2. Grower takes care with field selection, drill hygiene, label retention, etc.
3. Field inspections by Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) officials.
4. Pre-harvest inspection and proper segregation.
5. Green seed sampled and checked for purity and quality.
6. Each seed lot segregated into separate silos.
7. Grain pre-cleaned and carefully dried to 14% Moisture Content.
8. Driers and conveyors cleaned between different varieties.
9. Seed grain carefully stored and aerated in silos/stores.
10. Samples of dried seed tested by DAFM for: a. Germination and purity, b. Seed borne diseases.
11. Pre-advisory report on each seed lot issued by DAFM.
12. Acceptable seed is now ready for bagging/certification.
13. Seed is cleaned of weed seeds, small grains, screenings, etc.
14. Appropriate chemical dressing applied using hi-tech equipment.
15. Seed is weighed and packed with a DAFM label.
16. Sample of each seed lot is tested by DAFM as before.
17. Final Seed Lot Test Report issued by DAFM.
18. Certified Blue Label seed ready for delivery to Irish farmers.
19. Sample of each seed lot sown in ‘post-control’ plots at Backweston, Leixlip, Co. Kildare.
20. Certified sales reported to Plant Variety Development Office (PVDO), royalties paid to plant breeders.
Videos on Variety Trialling, Crop Inspections, Harvesting and Processing of Certified Seed are available to view by clicking on each.
