Threat to Heritage Seeds, Seed Exchange and Biodiversity
On Monday 6 May, the European Commission will vote on a proposed reform of the regulation on seeds which threatens the rights of gardeners and farmers to freely exchange seeds. The proposed changes work in favour of the seed companies whilst they should be working to establish the rights of people to buy or exchange organic, local or traditional seeds and protect these seeds against patents. This legislation seriously threatens heritage and local seed varieties and if these are lost and not made available to gardeners and small farmers our biodiversity is threatened.
I do not get on my soap box very often, but I am incensed by these proposed changes. So if you care please sign the petition and make your voice heard.
Croft Garden 
‘Farming Today’ do a great podcast about it.
Thanks for the reminder. We’re all very agitated about this in the islands as we produce and exchange our own cereal seed (small oats and rye) which are local varieties, so this new legislation will have a profound affect on traditional crofting. The seed is not commercially available and we couldn’t afford the cost of registration.
I can start to see why people are so anti Europe when they try to introduce legislation like this.
Signed and shared… thank you for passing this on! Everything crossed…
The EU has an awful lot to answer for when it comes to agriculture, the environment and fishing. It time the Commission stopped pandering to the big agri-corporates and listened to the people who matter.
Thanks Chris for this warning and to Hannah about the podcast – I will listen to find out more about it it. Petition will be signed as well.
Thanks Cathy. there is also an item on the Heritage Seed Library website
I have read and heard a lot about this recently… apparently six companies worldwide are responsible for deciding what food we grow, and EU farmers are not allowed to use their own seed saved from previous crops as it is not “safe”!? I could go on too. What a mad world! Will sign the petition too. Thanks for the link.
Unfortunately sanity and common sense has never had much to do with politics!
Hear, hear!
Congratulations!