LiveSeeding (seeds4organic.eu)
This practice abstract describes the European Router Database, a centralised platform designed to help suppliers of organic plant reproductive material (PRM) place and manage their offers across multiple EU national organic PRM databases. Context is provided by EU Regulation 2018/848, which requires each Member State to host a national database; cross-border suppliers otherwise face 27 different systems in different formats and languages. The Router Database enables suppliers to maintain a single account, provides translations into all official EU languages, and supports direct communication with national authorities. Integration via APIs automates the transfer of offers to national databases (12 APIs are currently operational); where APIs are not available, authorities can download offers manually. The platform also functions as a central repository for stakeholder information and is free to use for both suppliers and authorities. The abstract includes five practical steps for suppliers to register and post offers (visit www.seeds4organic.eu, create an account, verify certification, select countries, place and keep offers updated). Author and contact details are given (Kaja Gutzen, FiBL-DE; kaja.gutzen@fibl.org). The work is linked to the LiveSeeding project and notes funding from the European Union, the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
Key topics: organic seed, plant reproductive material, seed databases, cross-border supply, APIs, seed access, seeds4organic
