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Guidance

VCU protocols and procedures for testing agricultural crops

Protocols and procedures for testing the value for cultivation or use (VCU) of agricultural crops.

Updates to this page

From:
Animal and Plant Health Agency
Published:
15 June 2015
Last updated:
4 September 2026
Show all updates

  1. Added VCU procedures for the 2027 harvest for grasses (perennial, Italian and hybrid ryegrass, timothy, festulolium, cocksfoot, tall and meadow fescue).

  2. Added VCU procedures for the 2027 harvest for Swede.

  3. Sugar Beet VCU Procedures has been added to 2027 harvest.

  4. Added VCU procedures 2027 for Annual Ryegrass, Red Clover and Lucerne, and Vetch.

  5. Added VCU procedures 2027 for Potato, Forage and Grain Maize, Fodder beet, Fodder kale, Fodder radish, Forage mustard, Forage rape, Forage rye and Forage triticale.

  6. Added VCU procedures for the 2027 harvest for cereals, flax, forage oat, soya bean, spring oilseed rape, sunflower and winter oilseed rape.

  7. Added 2026 procedures and appendices for fodder kale.

  8. Added VCU procedures for the 2027 harvest for field bean, field pea, hemp, linseed and lupin.

  9. Added 2026 procedures and appendices for fodder radish. Updated the 2026 procedures document for vetch.

  10. Added updated 2026 VCU harvest procedures and appendices for forage and grain maize, forage mustard, potato, grasses, soya bean and sugar beet.

  11. Added 2026 harvest procedures for annual ryegrass and forage rape (with appendices). Updated the 2026 harvest procedures for cereals and sunflower, and the appendices for forage and grain maize.

  12. National List is now known as GB and NI Variety Lists.

  13. Updated the Procedures for 2026 harvest, appendices for Cereals – Wheat, Barley, Oats, Triticale, Rye, Spelt Wheat, Durum Wheat.

  14. Added the appendices for 2026 harvest procedures for Forage Oats, Hemp, Linseed, Lupin, Soya Bean, Spring Oilseed Rape and Sunflower. We also added the 2026 harvest procedure for Winter Oilseed Rape.

  15. Added the 2026 harvest procedures and appendices for fodder beet, red clover and lucerne, swede, turnip rape, white clover and red grazing clover and vetch.

  16. Added appendices for 2026 harvest procedures for cereals, field bean, field pea and flax.

  17. Added Winter oilseed rape PDF to Procedures – for 2026 harvest.

  18. Updated 'VCU Appendices for Field Beans' and 'VCU Appendices for Field Pea' under the heading 'Procedures – for 2025 harvest'. In the 'VCU Appendices for Field Beans', Victus has been replaced with Futura in Appendix 5 – Spring Beans Yield Controls. In the 'VCU Appendices for Field Pea', Bluetime has been replaced with Carrington in Appendix 5 – Spring Peas Yield Controls, and "Sakura (for comparison with marrowfat pea candidates)" has been replaced with "Takayama (marrowfat)" under Quality Controls.

  19. The cereals VCU procedures for harvest 2025 have been updated.

  20. Added 'Forage and grain maize – appendices' to Procedures – for 2025 harvest.

  21. The cereals VCU procedures for harvest 2025 have been updated to correct an error in the previous version.

  22. Added Cereals, Field bean, Field pea, Soya bean and Spring oilseed rape to Procedures – for 2026 harvest.

  23. Updated 'Appendices – Sugar Beet' under heading 'Procedures – for 2025 harvest' Added Daphna, BTS1915, Katjana KWS, Harryetta KWS, Annatina KWS to Appendix 5 – Control Varieties for VCU Assessments for Sugar Beet.

  24. Added sugar beet procedures (and appendices) for the 2025 harvest.

  25. Added Procedures for 2026 harvest for flax, forage oats, hemp, linseed, lupin and sunflower.

  26. Added 'Linseed – appendices' to Procedures – for 2025 harvest (amend to Appendix 5 with Buffalo replacing Batsman).

  27. Updated VCU procedures appendices for winter oil seed rape and cereals.

  28. We've updated the 2025 harvest procedure documents for flax and field peas (appendices document).

  29. The PDF 'procedures for trial inspection' has been replaced with a link to an accessible web page containing the same information for trial operators.

  30. Under the section 'Procedures - for 2025 harvest', we have replaced the attachment for 'Cereals - appendices'. Appendix 5 has been updated.

  31. Added VCU procedures for 2025 harvest for the following crops: fodder radish, mustard, vetch, white clover, and perennial, Italian and hybrid ryegrass, timothy, festulolium, cocksfoot, tall and meadow fescue.

  32. Under 'Procedures - for 2025 harvest', replaced attachment for 'field beans - appendices'. Appendix 4 has changed to reflect changes in trial operators.

  33. Replaced audit report form (appendix 4) in the trials document.

  34. Added fodder beet procedures for 2024 harvest. Added appendices for cereals, winter oilseed rape, spring oilseed rape, field peas and field beans for 2025.

  35. Potato procedures for 2025 harvest have been added. Potato procedures appendices for 2024 harvest have also been added.

  36. Sugar beet procedures and sugar beet procedures appendices for 2024 harvest added.

  37. Added 2025 harvest procedures for cereals, field beans, field pea, flax, hemp, linseed, lupin, soya bean, spring oilseed rape, sunflower and winter oilseed rape.

  38. Added the 2024 forage and grain maize VCU procedure and appendices. VCU procedures for 2014, 2020 and 2021 are now available on the national archive.

  39. Added the 2024 VCU procedures for annual ryegrass, fodder kale, fodder radish, grasses and swede. Added the 2024 VCU procedures appendices for annual ryegrass, fodder beet, fodder kale, fodder radish, grasses and swede

  40. Updated the trials documents which are now combined into one document: Procedures for trial inspection, data validation, trial design and official supervision.

  41. Added the 2024 harvest procedure and appendices for red clover and lucerne, and vetch. Updated the 2024 harvest appendices for cereals.

  42. Added VCU procedure and appendices for forage rye.

  43. Added VCU procedures for mustard and forage oat. Added VCU procedures appendices for mustard.

  44. Added appendices for cereals 2024 harvest.

  45. Added forage rape 2024 harvest procedures and appendices.

  46. Added 2024 harvest procedures for cereals, field beans, field peas, flax, hemp, linseed, soya bean, spring lupin, spring oilseed rape, sunflower and winter oilseed rape. Added 2024 harvest procedures appendices for forage oats, field beans, field peas, flax, hemp, lupin, soya bean, spring oilseed rape and sunflower.

  47. Added 2024 harvest procedure appendices for winter oil seed rape and linseed.

  48. Updated 2023 harvest procedures for: Cereals, Field bean, Field pea, Flax, Hemp, Linseed, Soya bean, Spring lupin, Spring oilseed rape, Sunflower, Winter oilseed.

  49. Added 2023 harvest procedures for flax and linseed.

  50. Added 2023 and 2024 harvest procedures for potatoes.

  51. Added 2023 harvest procedures for: * Fodder beet * Fodder kale * Fodder radish * Forage and grain maize * Forage rape * Forage rye * Minor crops * Mustard * Red clover and lucerne * Grasses (perennial, Italian and hybrid ryegrass, timothy, festulolium, cocksfoot, tall and meadow fescue * Swede * White clover

  52. Added minor crops for 2023 section.

  53. Added VCU procedures for harvest 2023: field peas, spring oilseed rape, sugar beet and winter oilseed rape.

  54. Added 2023 harvest procedures for cereals and field beans.

  55. Added VCU procedure for harvest 2022: potato.

  56. Published VCU procedures for harvest 2022: cereals, field beans, field peas, forage and grain maze, grasses, minor crops introduction, fodder beet, fodder kale, fodder radish, forage oat, forage rape, forage rye, hemp, linseed and flax, mustard, soya bean, spring lupin, sunflower, swede, red clover and lucern, spring oil seed rape, sugar beet, white clover and winter oil seed rape.

  57. Replaced PDF VCU protocols for some crops with email address to contact for a copy.

  58. Published VCU procedures for harvest 2021: cereals, spring oilseed rape, winter oilseed rape, minor crops introduction, hemp, linseed, mustard, soya bean, spring lupin and sunflower. Removed VCU procedures for harvest 2019.

  59. Added linseed VCU procedure to the Harvest 2020 minor crops.

  60. Added VCU procedures for harvest 2020 for main crops (forage oats, grasses, potato, red clover and lucerne, and white clover) and minor crops (fodder kale, fodder radish, forage rape, forage rye, hemp and swede).

  61. Added VCU procedure for harvest 2020: forage and grain maize

  62. Added VCU procedures for harvest 2020: sugar beet and fodder beet.

  63. Updated VCU procedures for cereal and winter oilseed

  64. Updated VCU protocol for minor crops.

  65. Added procedure for harvest 2019: forage and grain maize

  66. Addition of Field Bean and Pea 2020 protocol

  67. Addition of 2020 Harvest

  68. Further procedures added for 2019 harvest

  69. Sugar beet added to Procedures for 2019 harvest.

  70. Addition of Trial Procedures for Official Examination of Value for Cultivation and use (VCU) Harvest 2019 Swede to 'minor crops' under 'procedures for 2019 harvest'.

  71. Field beans protocol 2019 updated

  72. Procedures for 2019 harvest - cereals, winter oilseed and linseed documents updated

  73. Added procedures for harvest 2019 - Cereals (wheat, barley, oats, triticale, rye, spelt wheat)

  74. VCU procedures for field beans 2019 harvest added

  75. Procedures for 2019 harvest, Winter oilseed rape document updated

  76. VCU procedure for linseed updated

  77. Added procedures for harvest 2019 - spring oilseed rape, field peas, minor crop introduction, linseed, mustard, soya bean, spring lupin and sunflower

  78. Added procedure for harvest 2018 - potato and harvest 2019 - winter oilseed rape. Removed harvest 2017 documents.

  79. Potato protocol updated

  80. Added harvest 2018 procedures - grasses and white clover

  81. Added procedure for harvest 2018 - sugar beet

  82. Added procedure for harvest 2018 - maise, red clover, fodder kale, forage rape and forage rye.

  83. Added procedure for harvest 2018 - spring oilseed rape and winter oilseed rape

  84. Updated harvest 2018 procedure - cereals and linseed

  85. Added procedure for harvest 2018 - field beans

  86. Updated harvest 2018 procedure - cereals

  87. Updated harvest 2018 procedure - cereals

  88. Added harvest 2018 procedures - cereals, field peas, minor crops, linseed, mustard, soya bean, spring lupin and sunflower

  89. Updated VCU protocol sugar beet

  90. Updated sugar beet 2017 harvest procedures

  91. Harvest 2017 procedures - added potato and sugar beet, updated spring oilseed rape. Removed harvest 2016 procedures.

  92. Added harvest 2017 procedures - grasses, red clover and white clover

  93. Added harvest 2017 procedures - forage and maize and fodder kale

  94. Added harvest 2017 procedures - forage rape, forage rye and swede in minor crops

  95. Updated field peas 2017 harvest procedures

  96. Updated spring oilseed and linseed 2017 harvest procedures

  97. Updated cereal and winterseed oil harvest 2017 documents

  98. Updated field beans and field peas 2017 harvest procedures

  99. Added spring oilseed rape procedure for 2017 harvest

  100. Added cereals (wheat, barley, oats, triticale, rye, spelt wheat) procedure for 2017 harvest

  101. Procedures for 2017 harvest published

  102. Added grasses (perennial, Italian and hybrid ryegrass, Timothy and festulolium) and white clover procedures for 2016 harvest

  103. Added procedures 2016 harvest - forage and grain maize, red clover and lucerne, fodder kale, forage rape, forage rye and swede

  104. Procedures for potato for 2016 harvest published

  105. Sugar beet harvest 2016 procedure added

  106. Published cereals VCU procedures harvest 2016

  107. Added field beans, field peas and spring lupin to procedures for 2016 harvest.

  108. Procedures for oilseed rape for 2016 harvest published.

  109. Published VCU procedure for red clover and lucerne for 2015 harvest

  110. Published VCU procedure for cereals for 2015 harvest

  111. Procedures for 2015 harvest documents published.

  112. First published.

As part of the application process to add an agricultural crop to the GB and NI Variety Lists, the plant must be tested to confirm whether the variety has satisfactory value for cultivation or use (VCU).

The growing trials for all crops, except potatoes, are organised by the British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB). The trials for potatoes are organised by Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA).

These trials are normally carried out for a minimum of 2 years, comparing the performance of candidate varieties with varieties already on the Variety Lists.

The trials use the VCU protocols and procedures approved by the Plant Variety and Seeds Committee, which represents the national authorities on seed issues to establish VCU.

Protocols

Email pvs.helpdesk@apha.gov.uk if you need a copy of the VCU protocols for any of the following crops:

  • cereals
  • field bean
  • field pea
  • forage and grain maize
  • grasses (perennial, Italian and hybrid ryegrasses, tall and meadow fescue, timothy and festulolium)
  • minor crops
  • red clover and lucerne
  • potato
  • spring oilseed rape
  • white clover
  • winter oilseed rape

Trials

Procedures for trial inspection and validation: information for VCU and DUS trial operators.

Procedures – for 2027 harvest

Procedures – for 2026 harvest

Procedures – for 2025 harvest

Procedures – for 2024 harvest

For previous VCU procedures visit the National Archive.

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