EU Parliament votes for farmers’ right to seeds – but fails to strengthen the preservation of local and traditional varieties
Schiltern, Vienna, Strasbourg (OTS) – Schiltern, Vienna, Strasbourg – Today, on April 24, 2024, the plenary session of the EU Parliament in Strasbourg voted on the new EU seed law. ARCHE NOAH views the decision on new regulations for the production and marketing of seeds and other plant propagating material with mixed feelings. Despite aggressive lobbying by the seed industry and its interest group Euroseeds in recent days, a majority of EU MPs have supported the Agriculture Committee’s constructive submission on almost all points. “With today’s decision, the EU Parliament has recognized that seed diversity is central to our farmers.”
says Magdalena Prieler, seed law expert at ARCHE NOAH.
The EU Parliament’s decision safeguards the age-old tradition and the right of farmers to be able to exchange their own propagating material in small quantities with each other for a fee and free of charge – a practice that has been carried out for generations and that promotes resilience and independence in agriculture strengthens. In addition, the decision grants farmers continued access to traditional varieties such as the old Tomato variety “Red Heart”, the Steinfelder lentil, the Laaer onion or the Laufener country wheat. The decision frees farmers and conservation initiatives from new bureaucratic regulations. The seed industry has massively fought all of these points in the report by Herbert Dorfmann, the rapporteur in the responsible EU Agriculture Committee. Nevertheless, they ultimately found support from the Social Democrats, the Greens and the Left, as well as parts of the European People’s Party and the liberal Renew group.
However, the industry lobby has prevailed on one point that is essential to saving traditional and local varieties. The transfer of endangered varieties for the purpose of their conservation should have been excluded from the scope of seed law. This option has been severely restricted today. Only established conservation organizations may make use of this exception in the future. “Many actors in Europe are contributing to saving variety diversity, including local seed producers, individual farmers, but also public initiatives such as seed libraries.”
says Prieler. “Today’s decision failed to create a clear legal framework for these services that are so important to society. This is disappointing and unacceptable.” The industry has claimed that this exemption would lead to “uncontrolled parallel markets”. In reality it was about passing on small quantities, for example 500 grams of vegetable seeds per year. “The industry used scaremongering and false arguments to persuade MEPs to reject the recommendation of the technical committee. Diversification and diversity in the field are the most effective tool to alleviate the negative impacts of the climate crisis in agriculture, such as extreme weather conditions or new diseases and pests.”
ARCHE NOAH and other seed initiatives from all over Europe have contacted MEPs in recent days to inform about the threat to diversity and to demand farmers’ right to seeds. “We would like to thank our supporters who made this effort possible and all those who have sent seed packages to the EU Parliament or called EU representatives themselves in the last few days and weeks,” says Prieler.
This work continues after today’s vote: The resolution now forms the basis for the EU Parliament’s negotiations in the trilogue with the EU Commission and the Council of Agriculture Ministers on the final legal text. Negotiations are not expected to begin until the end of 2024. A progress report from the Belgian Council Presidency and a discussion by the EU agriculture ministers is planned for the last Council meeting before the summer break, on June 24th and 25th, 2024. “We call on the Council of EU Agriculture Ministers to resist the pressure from the seed industry. We need a secure foundation for a sustainable, resilient and diverse food system!”
says Magdalena Prieler from ARCHE NOAH. “Agriculture Minister Norbert Totschnig must actively ensure that local varieties, regional cuisine and farmers’ right to seeds are not endangered by global corporations.”
Questions & Contact:
ARCHE NOAH, Society for the Preservation and Spread of Cultivated Plant Diversity
Axel Grunt
Head of Communications
+43 680 2379245
axel.grunt@arche-noah.at
Magdalena Prieler (on site in Strasbourg)
Consultant for seed policy
+43 676 7750132
magdalena.prieler@arche-noah.at
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