01.01.2024, 21:41
Dear signatories,
As if the deregulation of genetic engineering and the legal reform of seed marketing were not enough of a threat to crop diversity, plant health legislation is also currently being amended.
We start with information on the status of the registration obligation for seed savers. At the end of this message you will find two links to petitions against the proposals for reform of seed marketing legislation and the deregulation of new genetic engineering.
In 2021-2022, you thankfully signed the petition against the registration obligation for professionally engaged seed savers to plant protection authorities. Recently, the EU Commission presented an amendment proposal. It still does not include an exemption for the conservation of diversity!
In the proposed amendment, the problem would remain unchanged: Professionally committed seed savers must register officially and fulfil a number of administrative tasks if they sell seeds and seedlings of rare varieties of tomatoes, beans and some other vegetables or scions of rare fruit and nut varieties to hobby gardeners, and if they wish to use a web shop for this purpose.
They can also commission an authorised company to do this: provide a risk prevention plan, issue plant passports, ensure traceability, draw up reports, support inspections and, if an infection is found, even destroy rare varieties.
For the small batches of rare varieties and species, the costs of maintaining diversity would increase considerably more than for seeds produced in large quantities for commercial agriculture.
Many of those affected could give up their already labour-intensive conservation work due to the additional administrative work or not even start their careers. Due to the regulations on traceability and eradication, rare and diverse varieties could simply be destroyed.
However, the risk of so-called quarantine pests spreading in our gardens is low. We do not have monocultures, do not operate large fields or greenhouses for propagation and hybridisation, not even in other climate zones of our planet, and do not sell our seeds worldwide in large quantities for commercial cultivation. We pay attention to the health and resistance of each mother plant that we have selected as a seed carrier for our rare varieties.
Tracing and eradication are not the only scientific approach, nor is there a consensus in the field of plant health. However, they form the sole basis of legislation. In addition, modern breeding focusses on individual resistance genes. However, these resistances are broken too often or too quickly to represent a sound strategy for maintaining plant health. See the photo above for example! It has also been scientifically proven that vital plants can also be carriers of harmful organisms without becoming ill. It would be wrong to destroy healthy plants just because they carry harmful organisms. It is precisely the polygenic properties underlying plant health in these cases that are important for climate-resilient cultivation systems.
On the one hand, the EU Commission (out of concern for plant health) burdens even the smallest professional producers of diversity seeds with maximum bureaucratic effort, but on the other hand it deliberately wants to dispense with the precautionary principle when deregulating genetically manipulated plants. This is so contradictory that it gives rise to the suspicion that the EU is deliberately pursuing the policy of large corporations when it comes to genetic engineering - against the will of EU citizens, who have rejected the use of genetically modified plants in agriculture in all surveys for decades and buy GMO-free products. Unlike the USA, the EU even wants to dispense with liability rules. The promised genetically modified plants adapted to climate change still do not exist. They are uniform, while the diversity varieties with their broad genetic make-up can adapt better year after year.
The conditions for diversity varieties have improved somewhat in the EU in recent years, without any reform. Now the seed law reform wants to undo some of this. The seed law also wants to introduce registration, including for individuals and micro-enterprises professionally involved in diversity conservation.
It also wants to make sustainability a condition for authorisation - you can guess where this is heading: Anything and everything could be labelled as sustainable, especially New Genetic Engineering products. No kidding: all existing and promised traits connected to New Genetic Engineering are mentioned in the law proposal as examples for sustainability.
What you can do:
Petition against the deregulation of new genetic engineering www.weact.campact.de/petitions/kennzeichnung-und-regulierung-aller-gentechnik-pflanzen-erhalten (in German)
Petition on seed law: Raise our forks for diversity! mitmachen.arche-noah.at/en/raise-our-forks (in English)
Join the "We're fed up" demonstration on 20.1.24 Berlin www.wir-haben-es-satt.de
27.09.2023, 02:11
Liebe Unterstützende,
der Petent oder die Petentin hat innerhalb der letzten 12 Monate nach Ende der Unterschriftensammlung keine Neuigkeiten erstellt und den Status nicht geändert. openPetition geht davon aus, dass die Petition nicht eingereicht oder übergeben wurde.
Wir bedanken uns herzlich für Ihr Engagement und die Unterstützung,
Ihr openPetition-Team
29.06.2022, 16:54
Es gibt noch keinen Termin für die Entscheidung der EU
Neues Zeichnungsende: 26.09.2022
Unterschriften zum Zeitpunkt der Änderung: 10591
06.05.2022, 17:54
Dear supporters of the petition,
our demands and the many signatures have already achieved something. In December 2021, the EU Commission wrote in a report on the evaluation of the regulations around the plant passport that the evaluation was not clear on the point of web shops, among others, and that more discussion was needed. In particular, there were indications that the administrative burden was too high, the EU Commission reported: ec.europa.eu/food/plants/plant-health-and-biosecurity/legislation/new-eu-plant-health-rules/reports-2021_en
In the meantime, the EU Commission is taking a closer look at our demands. This emerges from a survey sent to the member states. In Germany, the responsible ministry has carried out a consultation in which the umbrella organization has participated.
A decision by the EU Commission now seems imminent: Will seed savers who sell traditional varieties via web shops have to register officially or will they be spared? Will their commitment for cultivated plant diversity continue?
Reinforcement of our demands is essential. Please remind your contacts and networks to sign!
23.04.2022, 19:34
The EU Commission is continuing the discussion.
Neues Zeichnungsende: 30.06.2022
Unterschriften zum Zeitpunkt der Änderung: 10.136
25.03.2022, 13:57
Dear supporters,
The EU Commission is conducting a consultation on the planned reform of EU seed law. The first legislative proposal is expected by the end of 2022. Citizens and organisations, whether in the EU or outside the EU, can participate in the consultation until 27 March 2022.
The Dachverband Kulturpflanzen- und Nutztiervielfalt e.V. provides information about its response, as straightforward as possible, see
kulturpflanzen-nutztiervielfalt.org/how-participate-consultation-eu-seed-law-until-27-march-2022
In Sweden, over 1000 citizens have already taken part, although it takes some effort. High participation despite hurdles - this would be a great start for the already very controversial reform process.
Please join in!
Kind regards
Susanne Gura
Member of the Board
Umbrella Association for Conservation of Cultivated Plants and Breeds
16.01.2022, 18:58
The EU has not taken a decision yet. Good news, it gives us more time to collect signatures and talk to our national ministries of agriculture.
Neues Zeichnungsende: 21.03.2022
Unterschriften zum Zeitpunkt der Änderung: 8.612
16.01.2022, 18:53
Dear signatories,
More than 8500 supporters in most EU countries have learned about the petition and signed it. It is now also available in French and Dutch languages.
Francais: www.openpetition.eu/petition/online/lenregistrement-des-conservateurs-de-semences-pourrait-reduire-la-conservation-des-semences
Nederlands: www.openpetition.eu/petition/online/registratie-bij-conservators-kan-de-verscheidenheid-van-zaden-in-gevaar-brengen
In December 2021, the EU Commission published a report on the evaluation of parts of the plant health legislation. Regarding the requirements for seed savers selling via webshops, to use plant passports and therefore register with the plant health authorities, the EU report leaves everything open, no decision was taken yet ! See ec.europa.eu/food/plants/plant-health-and-biosecurity/legislation/new-eu-plant-health-rules/reports-2021_en
The next step is a discussion by the EU Ministers of Agriculture in their EU Council working party called AGRIFISH, probably in their meeting of 21 February 2022.
This gives us a bit more time
1. to collect signatures in your own countries, in your own language. If you have a network, please send an email, and we will arrange for a translation on the petition website. The signatures from the different language versions will then be added up by Openpetition.
2. In case you wish to get more active with your national ministry of agriculture: We could arrange an online meeting among us (English only, but slowly) to prepare for this, and learn about the EU plant health legislation, and how the issues that trouble the seed saving could be resolved. To participate, please quickly send an email! We will then fix a date among those interested.
The email address is kontakt@kulturpflanzen-nutztiervielfalt.de
The petition is extended until 22 March and is now aiming at 15.000 signatures.
In Poland, a seed webshop has been closed. Sale is possible on the farm, see tomatoeden.com/ . Let’s strive for a change of EU policy!
Sincerely
Susanne Gura
Umbrella Association for Cultivated Plant and Breed Diversity in German-Speaking Countries
More about us (in English): kulturpflanzen-nutztiervielfalt.org/node/29
10.12.2021, 20:36
Merci d'avoir signé la pétition! Elle vient d'être traduite en français et mise en ligne :
www.openpetition.eu/petition/online/lenregistrement-des-conservateurs-de-semences-pourrait-reduire-la-conservation-des-semences
n'hésitez pas à diffuser l'info suivante parmi vos réseaux francophones:
Chers amis de la biodiversité agricole,
Une obligation d'enregistrement officiel pour les conservateurs de semences ? Qui s'engagerait dans la conservation de la diversité si un enregistrement était nécessaire et s'il fallait s'acquitter d'une longue liste de tâches administratives ? Si les prix des semences et des plantules devaient alors augmenter considérablement ?
Les conservateurs de semences qui opèrent seuls, sans personnel, ne peuvent de toute façon produire, récolter, nettoyer, emballer et vendre que des quantités très limitées. Ils ne devraient pas avoir à supporter des charges administratives et des coûts supplémentaires. Un système de recouvrement des coûts ne serait d'aucune utilité, car même ce système implique une administration supplémentaire. De même, une réglementation plus légère ne serait d'aucune utilité, car elle exigerait toujours l'enregistrement des personnes engagées dans la conservation de la diversité.
Il faut de nombreux jardins et de nombreuses personnes pour aimer, soigner et développer le patrimoine culturel vivant adapté aux conditions locales, puis le transmettre à la génération suivante. La conservation de la diversité doit être un mouvement croissant dans la société.
S'il vous plaît, signez cette pétition demandant d'exempter les conservateurs de semences opérant individuellement de l'obligation de s'enregistrer auprès des services de protection des végétaux.
www.openpetition.eu/petition/online/lenregistrement-des-conservateurs-de-semences-pourrait-reduire-la-conservation-des-semences
meilleures salutations
Susanne Gura
Confédération pour la diversité des plantes cultivées et animaux productifs
information en français: kulturpflanzen-nutztiervielfalt.org/node/30
25.11.2021, 10:52
Dear signatories,
The petition is extended until January 25th, 2022. What a relief that so many people are supporting with signatures and comments the demand that the EU Commission exempts seed savers from the registration obligation under the Plant Health Regulation.
In the meantime, the EU Commission was informed regarding the ongoing petition. The letter to the EU Commission, apart from explaining the demand, is again suggesting a meeting.
Read more (in English): kulturpflanzen-nutztiervielfalt.org/sites/kulturpflanzen-nutztiervielfalt.org/files/Plant%20Health%20Dachverband%2025nov21.pdf
Please continue to collect signatures, whether online or on paper (list to be downloaded and uploaded on the petition site) An E-Mail to forward to your friends and networks is available from gura@posteo.de
Thank you!
Best regards
Susanne Gura
Umbrella Association for Cultivated Plant and Breed Diversity in German-Speaking Countries
More about us (in English): kulturpflanzen-nutztiervielfalt.org/node/29
