Article 18
The conditions under which bred seed of generations prior to basic seed may be placed on the market under the first indent of Article 4, shall be as follows:
1. it must have been officially inspected by the competent certification authority in accordance with the provisions applicable to the certification of basic seed;
2. it must be packed in accordance with this Directive; and
3. the packages must bear an official label giving at least the following particulars:
  - certification authority and Member State or their distinguishing abbreviation,
  - lot reference number,
  - month and year of sealing, or
  - month and year of the last official sampling for the purposes of certification,
  - species, indicated at least under its botanical name, which may be given in abridged form and without the authors' names, in roman characters,
  - variety, indicated at least in roman characters,
  - the description ‘pre-basic seed’,
  - number of generations preceding seed of the categories ‘certified seed’, or ‘certified seed of the first generation’.
The label shall be white with a diagonal violet line.