Already over 100,000 signatures on the petition for diversity
Brussels, Vienna, Schiltern (OTS) – An important step for seed diversity: This morning, after the Environment Committee, the Agriculture Committee in the EU Parliament also voted clearly in favor of seed diversity in Europe. „The leading agricultural committee is committed to ensuring that the preservation of diversity remains possible and that its dissemination by regional producers remains feasible. Today’s vote brings significant improvements to the EU Commission’s proposal
“, Magdalena Prieler, seed law expert at ARCHE NOAH, summarizes today’s results. In their voting behavior, the MPs followed the suggestions of the rapporteur Herbert Dorfmann from the EPP and thus corrected the EU Commission’s anti-diversity legislative proposal in key points.
With this vote, the implementation of an essential ARCHE NOAH demand is in sight: There is now hope that active conservation organizations such as ARCHE NOAH or public gene banks will in the future distribute seeds in small quantities outside the scope of seed law to farmers and hobby gardeners may pass on. The Agriculture Committee has also advocated allowing farmers to sell their own seeds and planting material, albeit with some restrictions. This would make it much easier to pass on seed-proof traditional seeds and strengthen the human right of farmers to their own seeds. The downside remains that the proposals put forward to curb patents on conventional breeding did not find a majority – the problem therefore remains unsolved. Unreasonable bureaucratic requirements for small seed companies were also not revised. The plenary session and the agriculture ministers need to make improvements here.
„The Agriculture Committee has set clear and, in our view, very positive guidelines for further parliamentary work: diversity must be excluded from the scope of the new seed law and consistently promoted
“, says Magdalena Prieler from ARCHE NOAH.
When voting today, the EU Agriculture Committee is basing its vote on the “Food and Biodiversity Package” that the EU Commission presented in July 2023. With the new regulation of seed law, the EU Commission intends to adapt the outdated seed law to the goals of the European “Green Deal”. However, its proposed law fails in many areas due to its own demands. “The agriculture ministers and the EU Parliament plenary must change course! We need more diversity on our fields and plates to counteract the climate and biodiversity crisis and to produce tasty, healthy food! The votes in the Environment Committee and the Agriculture Committee are important steps in the right direction.”says Prieler. Next hurdle: The vote in the parliamentary plenary session on April 24th or 25th, 2024.
The European petition “Raise the Forks”, launched by numerous seed movement organizations, has now surpassed the 100,000 signature mark. The supporters from all over Europe are calling on the EU Parliament and the agriculture ministers to revise the seed law proposal. They call for legislation that enables the legal distribution of diverse seeds, promotes crop diversity, respects the rights of farmers and creates the basis for a sustainable, resilient and diverse food system.
In parallel to the votes at parliamentary level, the Council of Agriculture Ministers is negotiating changes to the proposed law. As early as 2013, Austria played a central role in rejecting the attack on seed diversity. “Agriculture Minister Norbert Totschnig must now urgently bring Austria into a pioneering role for diversity. Totschnig must demand the farmers’ right to seeds and protect crop diversity from over-regulation and patents!
“summarizes Magdalena Prieler.
About the petition: www.hochdiegabeln.at
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
Consultant for seed policy
+43 676 7750132
magdalena.prieler@arche-noah.at
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Inquiries to press@arche-noah.at