After some dramatic last minute changes, the draft EU seed law passed the EU commission today, looking quite a bit different from what I posted about here and here.
In the final draft is a provision for €2.000.000/10 person companies, both seed and food products, that is largely exempt from EU seed law. This is very good news! This will mean a huge difference for European agriculture, small farmers and agricultural biodiversity.
Changes are still possible as it passes to the EU Parliament and Council for final approval, but for the moment it looks like we have something to celebrate!
The final draft can be downloaded here.
Thank you everyone who signed the petitions and emailed your commissioners!
Important! Please keep signing the petitions if you haven’t yet done so! The fight is not yet over!
You and the other people working with you cannot be thanked enough for what you’ve been doing!!!!
So so pleased to hear this, I’ve been emailing and signing petitions and setting up petitions frantically since I first heard of this terrible proposal and am so gratified that the voice of so many was raised loud enough to hopefully make a change. Thank you so much for all your work towards getting this result that protects small farmers and their infinite variety of wonderful produce across the EU, the treasure of our natural world, and us…
Patrick,
Thanks for all you are doing to alert us to the laws and amended laws. As a breeder and salesman through two sites and a blogger of sorts on my forum tatermater.proboards.com I feel the requirement to register my seeds is total nonsense. I have thousands of varieties of tomatoes and potatoes and Europe is one of my most popular destinations for my seed. I am open source and want nothing to do with ANY regulation, however important it might be to the powers that be.
When I was in Europe, countless people told me that what I was doing would be illegal in all of Europe. I spoke before government people and said that I will always be a maverick.
Tom Wagner
Thanks a million for your work