The tasks of the SOC
Official Service for Seed Control and Certification
Seed certification in France: rigorous controls carried out by the SOC.
Leading producer country in the European Union and second seed exporter in the world, France was also one of the first countries to organize compulsory quality control and official certification for seeds and agricultural plants.
At a time when citizens, consumers, industrialists and farmers are preoccupied by the environment, food safety and ethical matters, it is important to recall how seed controls and certification are carried out. The French system is certainly one of the most far-reaching and rigorous.
The principles of quality control for agricultural seeds commercialized in France were first laid down in the 1950s by professional organizations,and were officialized ten years later, first by national and later by the European legislation.
In 1962 the Ministry of Agriculture delegated certification to the Gnis ( Groupement national interprofessionnel des semences et plants: French association for seeds and seedlings )
Within the Gnis, this mission is entrusted to the SOC ( Service officiel de Contrôle et de Certification, Official Service for Seed Control and Certification.)
The SOC's task is to apply the regulations of the Ministry of Agriculture for the production, control and certification of seeds and plants. The SOC gives an official attestation of product conformity, guaranteeing identity, varietal purity, physical purity, germination capacity, and for certain species, their sanitary quality.
The work of the SOC is attested by the fixing of official certificates on the packaging of seeds and agricultural plants that meet quality standards.
The approval and authorization of the SOC depend on the control of the means used and on excellence in quality.
The principle of delegated control as practiced in France has largely inspired European legislation and recent tendencies in international regulations put in place by the OECD.
Initiated by seed professionals, institutionalized by the French public authorities, widened to Europe and integrated into international trade rules, certification has a double purpose: to guarantee the quality of agricultural seeds for farmers and encourage the spread of improved varieties.