A farmer could face a fine of up to $350,000 for growing nectarines

A farmer in Lleida, Spain, was arrested last July for growing, selling, and possessing ‘Nectadiva,’ a patented nectarine variety, without paying the required royalties.

Creating a new fruit variety grants the creator exclusive rights for about 25 to 30 years. Anyone who wants to cultivate and sell it must pay a fee to the patent holder. Authorities discovered that the Lleida farmer had ignored this process, planting 5,000 trees of Nectadiva across three separate plots.

Fraudulent reproduction of protected variety

The patent belongs to the French company Agreo Selections Fruit. According to Spain’s Civil Guard, the farmer was illegally reproducing and conditioning the variety.

“The process involved reproducing and conditioning protected plant varieties through grafting or inoculation without the consent of the owners of the protection titles. The suspect was released after giving a statement at police headquarters,” the Civil Guard said.

Investigation traced to Segri region farm

Investigations began a year ago, in February 2025, at an agricultural company in the Segrià region, a rural county in the province of Lleida known for fruit production. Authorities collected samples that matched the protected variety, confirming its unauthorized cultivation across the 5,000 trees in the three plots.

If authorities classify the case as an industrial property crime under Article 274.4 of Spain’s Penal Code, the farmer could face one to three years in prison and fines of up to €288,000 euros, almost $340,000.

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