Commission Implementing Directive (EU) 2021/415

Contents

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,Having regard to Council Directive 66/401/EEC of 14 June 1966 on the marketing of fodder plant seed^note, and in particular Article 2(1)(A)(a) and Article 21a thereof,Having regard to Council Directive 66/402/EEC of 14 June 1966 on the marketing of cereal seed^note, and in particular Article 2(1)(A) and Article 21a thereof,Whereas:

(1)In the light of the development of scientific knowledge, the botanical names of hard fescue and of couch grass, as well as the botanical names of wheat, durum wheat, spelt wheat, sorghum and Sudan grass have been revised in accordance with the rules of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants.

(2)The botanical name of hard fescue was revised since the name Festuca trachyphylla (Hack.) Hack. was published validly earlier than the name Festuca trachyphylla (Hack.) Krajina. Elytrigia repens as the botanical name of couch grass was not published validly. Instead, Elymus repens has been established as the valid botanical name of that species.

(3)Genome- and phylogeny-based approaches to the taxonomy of Triticum species have confirmed that durum wheat and spelt wheat, previously considered independent species, are subspecies of other species. The previous botanical name of durum wheat, Triticum durum Desf., therefore has been revised and the new name is Triticum turgidum L. subsp. durum (Desf.) van Slageren. The botanical name of spelt wheat, Triticum spelta L., has been revised and now is Triticum aestivum L. subsp. spelta (L.) Thell. As a consequence of spelt wheat becoming a subspecies of wheat, the plant grouping previously named Triticum aestivum L. has been renamed Triticum aestivum L. subsp. aestivum in accordance with the rules of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants.

(4)The previous botanical name of Sudan grass, Sorghum sudanense (Piper) Stapf, was not published validly and Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench subsp. drummondii (Steud.) de Wet ex Davidse has been established as the valid botanical name of this plant grouping in accordance with the rules of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants. As a consequence of Sudan grass having the taxonomic rank of a subspecies of sorghum, the botanical name of sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench, has been revised in accordance with the rules of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants and now is Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench subsp. bicolor.

(5)Directives 66/401/EEC and 66/402/EEC should therefore be amended in order to reflect those changes.

(6)The measures provided for in this Directive are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE: