Press release
The Biodynamic Federation Demeter International, representing the biodynamic farming movement worldwide as part of the organic sector, welcomes the outcome of today’s plenary vote of the European Parliament on the plant reproductive material proposal as it has the potential to foster organic plant breeding and agrobiodiversity, ensuring the resilience and sustainability of our farming systems.
Today’s plenary vote marks an important step towards the further development of organic plant breeding. As farming starts with the seeds, the availability of organic plant reproductive material (PRM) is essential for organic farmers who need to access seeds and seedlings that perform well under organic conditions. In this way, organic breeders and farmers also contribute to fostering agrobiodiversity by enabling farmers access to a wide variety of PRM, a key component to ensure sustainable and resilient farming systems.
The PRM proposal as adopted by the European Parliament offers “adapted seed variety registration rules for organic plant breeding which are crucial to facilitate their development and market access”, stresses Clara Behr, Head of Policy and Public Relations at the Biodynamic Federation Demeter International. It constitutes, therefore, an important piece of the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy and its objective of 25% EU agricultural land under organic management by 2030 by setting the right premises to accelerate organic production.
Diversification and variety in the fields are the most effective tools to counteract the negative impact of the climate crisis, like extreme weather conditions or new diseases and pests. “Genetic diversity, along with the preservation of our plant genetic resources, is central in this regard, but also to avoid the further concentration of genetic resources in the hands of only a few main players”, points Clara Behr. Today, more than 50% of the global seed market is controlled by only four main companies.
The outcome adopted by the Parliament today will help to ensure access to a wide variety of PRM for farmers, breeders, and gardeners by supporting, next to organic plant breeding, also conservation and farmers’ breeding activities. Indeed, the PRM proposal upholds farmers rights to exchange their own seeds in small quantities with or without monetary compensation in the spirit of art. 19 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants (UNDROP), but also supports recognized conservation initiatives in the protection of endangered varieties and the preservation of our plant genetic resources.
While the Parliament adopted its position today, the negotiations continue in the Council and the trilogue negotiations between the three institutions – Parliament, Council, and Commission – for a finalisation of the proposal will probably only start towards the end of 2024. The upcoming negotiations must continue to focus on the preservation of genetic diversity and on the access to plant biodiversity for all breeders and farmers to ensure resilient farming systems.
