Status for the work in the Discussion Forum on EU Seed Legislation and genetically diverse plant varieties

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1 Status for the work in the Discussion Forum on EU Seed Legislation and genetically diverse plant varieties March 2013 Lars Landbo, Danish AgriFish Agency

2 A tricky issue: Which type of plant varieties should be allowed for marketing in the EU?

3 Current EU-legislation on marketing of plant reproductive material two main pillars: - Registration of plant varieties - Certification of individual seed lots

4 Current EU-legislation: - Plant varieties are tested for DUS, Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability, - and for VCU (agricultural species), - mandatory certification of seed lots, - less stringent requirements for conservation- and amateur varieties and for preservation seed mixtures. Danseed Symposium

5 Current EU-legislation: - Stakeholders involved in conventional agriculture and major crops are generally quite satisfied with the existing legislation: No need for major changes!

6 Free our Seeds petition against key elements in the planned reform of the EU seed legislation

7 He is not allowed to have clean flour in the bag Cooks, allergy sufferers and and health conscious people praise old cereal varieties but farmers must practice civil disobedience to keep the old cereals alive (Dagens Næringsliv, July 2011, Foto: Evy Andersen)

8 Anders Borgen, Organic Denmark: Biodiversity is a declared goal for organic agriculture. The EU seed legislation thus prohibits organic plant breeding from achieving a key target. Økologi og Erhverv, 22/2-13

9 Critique of the current EU seed legislation: - DUS/VCU requirements leave too little room for marketing of genetically diverse varieties, old varieties etc., - tedious procedures and associated administrative costs limit the development of niche markets, - Quantitative restrictions are too tight.

10 Plan of action for the development of organic agriculture towards 2020

11 The government will: Work for changing the EU-legislation to make it possible to produce and market less homogenous plant varieties this includes having new EU-rules that allow marketing of organic, genetically diverse plant varieties. The change shall be made in such a way that the benefits of the existing system are not jeopardized (Action 6.2)

12 The government will: Host a conference on the implications of the EU-legislation for the development of conventional and organic agriculture, Establish a Discussion Forum encompassing a broad representation of stakeholders with which the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries may consult..

13 Conference on EU-seed legislation 6 November 2012

14 The Discussion Forum on EU seed legislation and genetically diverse plant varieties Open invitation to join the forum published on our web site, 21 persons joined the forum, Representing a broad range of stakeholders: - Plant breeders in various crops, - Agricultural organisation, both conventional and organic, - Niche producers, - Universities, - CSO s, i.a. Seed Savers, Nature Conservationists and Slow Food.

15 What shall the Discussion Forum do? Develop a Danish compromise proposal, Advice the Ministry during negotiations on the new EU seed legislation.

16 Status for work in the Discussion Forum One whole-day meeting held (21 February 2013), Discussions were proceeding in a good and constructive spirit, People were thinking out of the box and not just defending their own interests, General consensus: It should be possible to find a solution! A model using three different categories of varieties was discussed: a) Conventional varieties (DUS/VCU), b) Varieties approved according to less stringent requirements, c) Varieties approved on the basis of a description only. General agreement to exclude the activities of Seed Savers etc. from the legislation, Next meeting of the discussion forum to be held in April.

17 Thank you for the attention!

18 A Danish Tingsted (thingstead)

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