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Series

Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and...

Catalogue reference: MAF 288

What's it about?

MAF 288

Records concerning relations between the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the National Institute of Agricultural Botany, principally referring to the Institute's work on seed and...

Full description and record details

Reference

MAF 288

Title
Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: Plant Variety Rights Office and Seeds Division and predecessors: Registered Files, Liaison with National Institute of Agricultural Botany (AK Series)
Date

1920-2001

Description

Records concerning relations between the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the National Institute of Agricultural Botany, principally referring to the Institute's work on seed and variety testing, inspection and verification (carried out by the Institute's Official Seed Testing Station).

Many files in this series contain pre-1965 papers annexed from the SDS file series (MAF 78 and MAF 370) and RG file series (MAF 33 and MAF 117)

Held by
The National Archives, Kew
Former department reference

AK file series

Legal status

Public Record(s)

Language

English

Creator(s)
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Plant Variety Rights Office and Seeds Division, 1965-1989
Physical description

242 file(s)

Access conditions

Open unless otherwise stated

Immediate source of acquisition

from 2005 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

from 1996 Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

Accumulation dates

1965 onwards

Accruals

This series is accruing

Administrative / biographical background

The National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) at Cambridge was set up in 1919, largely on the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries' initiative, to promote seed and crop improvement. It was an independent institution, established under a trust deed, but financed mainly by annual and capital grants from the ministry. It was governed by a council including representatives of the UK Agricultural Departments, Cambridge and other universities, various trade associations, the National Farmers' Union, etc.

Its work covered seed testing; variety testing; seed crop inspection and certification; and seed multiplication and distribution. It tested new varieties of seed, both from home and abroad, to assess their suitability for farming conditions in different parts of the country. It issued lists of recommended varieties based on results of trials it carried out at Cambridge and regional centres. The institute, in close liaison with MAFF, also administered various seed certification schemes. From 1921 it operated, by delegation from the ministry, the Official Seed Testing Station for England and Wales, established by the Seeds Act 1920.

Record URL
https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C10688/

Catalogue hierarchy

Over 27 million records

This record is held at The National Archives, Kew

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Within the department: MAF

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You are currently looking at the series: MAF 288

Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: Plant Variety Rights Office and Seeds Division and predecessors: Registered Files, Liaison with National Institute of Agricultural Botany (AK Series)