Plant breeder’s rights (PBRs) protect new plant varieties that are novel, distinct, uniform and stable. They provide exclusive commercialisation rights for up to 25 years, enabling breeders to license varieties and capture returns on investment in plant improvement.
In Australia, PBR activity reflects both domestic breeding capability and the international flow of plant varieties into Australian production and retail. PBR trends reflect shifts in breeding investment across horticulture, broadacre crops, ornamentals, and other sectors, in a globally connected agriculture system.
Three key trends stand out in the 2025 data:
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Applications declined for the third consecutive year, though registrations rebounded.
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Resident filings increased from a low base, while non-resident filings remained dominant but volatile.
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Field crop activity strengthened – cereal crops recorded their strongest filings since 2018 – partially offsetting easing in fruit crop filings.
Overall trends: application volumes eased, registrations rebounded
In 2025, PBR applications fell by 6.4%, from 282 in 2024 to 264 (Figure 5.1). This marks the third consecutive annual decline.
Registrations increased from 124 in 2024 to 169 in 2025. The rise reflects examination timing and pipeline dynamics rather than a structural shift in filing behaviour.
Compared with patents and trade marks, total PBR volumes are modest. As a result, annual movements can appear pronounced even when underlying breeding investment remains steady. Interpretation therefore requires caution: year-to-year volatility often reflects the behaviour of a small number of large breeding programs.
Figure 5.1
PBR applications and registrations in Australia, 2014 to 2025Resident and non-resident filings: resident filings rebound above trend
In 2025:
- Resident filings increased 17.0% from 100 to 117.
- Non-resident filings declined 19.2% from 182 to 147, following a sharp increase in 2024.
Although residents recorded growth, filing volumes remain near the lower end of the decade range. Non-resident applicants continue to account for the majority of filings, though the gap with residents has narrowed compared to recent years (Figure 5.2).
Australia’s PBR system supports 2 complementary economic functions.
- Encouraging domestic breeding investment, particularly in field crops, pasture species and niche horticulture.
- Facilitating the international transfer of plant varieties into Australia, supporting adaptation to local conditions and integration into global value chains.
The narrowing gap between resident and non-resident filings in 2025 likely reflects volatility rather than a structural shift in international engagement.
Figure 5.2
Volume of PBR applications by domicile, 2016 to 2025Locations of origin: lower volumes from major locations
Many Australian agricultural industries rely on foreign-sourced plant material, which is subsequently adapted for local conditions. PBRs support this transfer by enabling breeders to protect varieties introduced into Australia.1
In 2025:
- Applications from most major origin locations fell, including the United States, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Germany. The only exception was France, which saw 5 additional filings.
- The range of locations from which Australia receives PBR applications remained stable, at 18, around the long-term average. Morocco entered the list of source locations for the first time.
The US has been the lead overseas source of filings for over a decade, with the exception of 2021 when the Netherlands led for PBR filings. These countries host large commercial breeding programs in horticulture and broadacre crops.
Figure 5.3
Leading overseas locations of origin for PBR filings in 2025, and locations with high growth or decline 2
Plant varieties: high volatility across varieties
In 2025, most PBR applications were for fruit crops (28.7% of total filings), ornamentals (22.9%), and non‑cereal field crops (17.6%) (Figure 5.4).
Figure 5.4
Top 5 plant varieties for volume of PBR filings in 2025, and high-volume varieties with strong growth or decline
Filings across plant varieties displayed strong volatility in 2025, with all popular varieties reversing growth or declines from 2024.
- Filings for cereal crops increased 41.7%, to a record 34 applications.
- Filings for ornamentals increased 14.3%, but still remain less than half of the level recorded between 2014 and 2020.
- Filings decreased for non-cereal crops, fruit crops, and vegetable crops.
Applications across most plant variety classes are relatively well distributed between resident and non‑resident filers. Notable exceptions include:
- vegetable crops, where all filings in 2025 were filed by non‑residents
- fruit crops, with 69.7% of filings made by non-residents
- cereal field crops, where domestic applicants accounted for the majority of filings.
Leading filers: concentrated activity reflects large breeding programs
Domestic leaders
Australian Grain Technologies was the joint leading filer for plant breeder's rights, reflecting continued strength in cereal breeding activity. The company has ranked among the top domestic PBR applicants in recent years, with filings concentrated in field crops (cereals) (Figure 5.5).
Returning to the list as joint top filer was Craig Pressler, with filings concentrated in fruit crops.
Other leading filers in 2025 were predominantly major repeat filers. This includes many organisations associated with public plant research and breeding programs:
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
- Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority
- South Australian Research and Development Institute
- Grains Research and Development Corporation.
Figure 5.5
Top domestic and international applicants for PBRs in Australia, 2025
International leaders
International PBR filings in Australia in 2025 were highly concentrated, with a small number of large overseas breeding organisations accounting for a substantial share of non‑resident applications. Together, the top 8 international applicants accounted for more than one-third of all non‑resident PBR applications filed in Australia in 2025.
The leading international filer in 2025 was Rijk Zwaan Zaadteelt en Zaadhandel BV, a Netherlands‑based vegetable breeding company, with 10 PBR applications. Rijk Zwaan's filings were concentrated in vegetable crop varieties.
The second‑ranked international filer was Syngenta Crop Protection AG, a Swiss-based agricultural technology company, with 9 applications, also concentrated in vegetable crops. Syngenta has been among the most active international users of Australia's PBR system in recent years, reflecting the importance of the Australian market for commercialisation of new horticultural varieties.
Other prominent international filers included The Regents of the University of California and Driscoll’s Inc, each lodging 5 applications in 2025. Both applicants were concentrated in fruit crop varieties and have previously featured among the lead international filers.
Endnotes
- S Hegarty, R Thomson and E Webster, Understanding the economic impact of plant breeder’s rights in Australia. IP Australia, Australian Government, 2022.
- High volume locations are defined as those above the mean for total applications in 2023.