July 2023 - Npos_2018 - lists.testbiotech.de

the letter and our report in politico
by Christoph Then 04 Jul '23

04 Jul '23

DRIVING THE DAY *THE BIG PATENT CONUNDRUM: *A new EU law on crops produced using “new genomic techniques” (NGTs), to be unveiled tomorrow, has pitted Big Agri interests against environmentalists and small farmers, who say the rules will further tighten the grip of a handful of multinational corporations by allowing them to claim patents on crops that could have been obtained through conventional breeding methods. *But first: *Before we move on to the patent dilemma, it seems that the draft law we reported on here <https://y3r710.r.eu-west-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F%2Fdmp.politico.eu%2F%3F…> is still going through some final tweaks. An earlier version would have brought NGT crops engineered to tolerate herbicide spraying under the EU’s stricter GMO rules. But a more recent draft, previewed <https://y3r710.r.eu-west-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F%2Fdmp.politico.eu%2F%3F…> by Brussels Playbook's Jakob Hanke Vela, no longer makes this distinction. *Back to patents: *Multinationals like Bayer, Syngenta or Corteva, make a lot of money from selling or licensing their patented products. Most of Bayer’s global profits from glyphosate, for example, come not from the sale of the weedkiller itself, of which there are now countless generic varieties, but from proprietary herbicide-resistant seeds. *Seed money: *In the EU, plants used for food production can't be patented — unless they've been genetically engineered. Environmental groups warn that conventional crops will fall victim to the forthcoming rules, as companies will be able to claim that their seemingly conventional seeds are not conventional at all because their traits were obtained with the help of NGTs. Several patents making this claim are already pending, according to a recent NGO analysis <https://y3r710.r.eu-west-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F%2Fdmp.politico.eu%2F%3F…>. *Minefield: *This, in turn, would make it much harder for small and traditional breeders to use existing plant varieties without risking patent infringement, the environmental groups say. *Industry view: *For their part, the big NGT players have said they will seek a balanced approach that allows smaller competitors to license their technology at a fair price through industry-run platforms, such as the Agricultural Crop Licensing Platform launched <https://y3r710.r.eu-west-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F%2Fdmp.politico.eu%2F%3F…> earlier this year. *But but but: *The multinationals won’t abandon the application of intellectual property (IP) rights on NGT crops altogether. Matthias Berninger, head of public affairs at Bayer's sustainability division, told me that this is the only way to generate value from their investment. *No shit, Sherlock: *"Why are we still for IP? Because our investors will give us the middle finger if we tell them we want two and a half billion of your money every year, but there is no IP to protect the kind of innovation that comes out of it," he said. Stay tuned for more from my interview with Berninger. *We hear ya, but: *The European Commission has repeatedly acknowledged that the new rules could aggravate the patent problem — but has insisted that this can’t be addressed within the scope of the NGT regulation because patents are governed by a separate piece of legislation. The EU executive has said it will try to address the issue at a later stage. *Putting the cart before the horse: *Environmental groups aren’t convinced, questioning why Brussels is rushing to meet industry demands without properly assessing the costs of sowing unregulated NGT crops on farmers’ fields.

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Fwd: [New-gm-eur] FW: Open Letter - Prevent patented GM seeds in Europe resulting from reform of EU GMO regulation
by Christoph Then 03 Jul '23

03 Jul '23

Dear all please see this important letter... we were asked to sign, but it looks like some technical details were not sorted out. For me, it looks very good: Many of of you signed anyway and it may be difficult that we, as a coalition, with specific purpose, should act in the name of our members. We should include a reference to this letter in our own communication, maybe integrate it as footnote in final version of the final version of our report which will go online this week on July 6. cheers Christoph -------- Weitergeleitete Nachricht -------- Betreff: [New-gm-eur] FW: Open Letter - Prevent patented GM seeds in Europe resulting from reform of EU GMO regulation Datum: Mon, 3 Jul 2023 06:04:34 +0000 Von: Helene Schmutzler <helene.schmutzler(a)organicseurope.bio> An: New gm eur <new-gm-eur(a)lists.corporateeurope.org> Kopie (CC): Ilaria Barbonetti <ilaria.barbonetti(a)organicseurope.bio> Happy Monday, FYI, the open letter on patents to the EU agri ministers in BCC and Cab AGRI and GROW went out just now. I will keep you posted should we receive any response. Have a good week everyone, *Helene Schmutzler***(She/her) Rue Marie-Thérèse 11 /Policy Coordinator on GMOs and Organic Textiles/ _+32 2 41 65 232_ BE - 1000 Brussels www.organicseurope.bio <http://www.organicseurope.bio/> VAT number: BE 0881.175.417 <https://www.organicseurope.bio/> Representing the entire organic food chain in European policymaking. Advocating for a transformation of food and farming based on the principles of organic agriculture – health, ecology, fairness and care. <https://twitter.com/OrganicsEurope><https://www.linkedin.com/company/organicseurope/>** <https://www.facebook.com/OrganicsEurope><https://www.instagram.com/organicseurope/> Subscribe to our newsletter <https://www.organicseurope.bio/newsletter/> *From:*Helene Schmutzler *Sent:* Sunday, July 2, 2023 1:12 PM *To:* 'cab-wojciechowski-contact(a)ec.europa.eu' <cab-wojciechowski-contact(a)ec.europa.eu>; 'cab-breton-contact(a)ec.europa.eu' <cab-breton-contact(a)ec.europa.eu> *Cc:* Eric Gall <eric.gall(a)organicseurope.bio>; Eduardo Cuoco <eduardo.cuoco(a)organicseurope.bio>; 'Kerstin.JORNA(a)ec.europa.eu' <Kerstin.JORNA(a)ec.europa.eu>; 'Wolfgang.Burtscher(a)ec.europa.eu' <Wolfgang.Burtscher(a)ec.europa.eu> *Subject:* Open Letter - Prevent patented GM seeds in Europe resulting from reform of EU GMO regulation Dear Ministers of Agriculture, Dear Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski, Dear Commissioner Thierry Breton, *On behalf of a wide coalition of NGOs over 100 European organizations, representing environmental, consumer rights, and food and farming organizations, IFOAM Organics Europe is sending you the attached letter ahead of the presentation of the legislative proposal on so-called “New Genomic Techniques”. * IFOAM Organics Europe <https://www.organicseurope.bio/> is the EU umbrella organization for the promotion of organic agriculture and represents the entire organic production chain in the EU. With this letter, we are writing to*express our concerns about a possible flood of patented seeds entering the EU market as a result of the Commission's far-reaching dismantling of the EU's GMO regulations. We urge you to refrain from taking any steps that could facilitate the commercialisation of more patented plant varieties. We ask you to reject any deregulation of new GMOs/NGTs and not to push the legislative process towards a new regulation of NGTs any further, because the impact that a change of legislation would have on patents on seeds has not been evaluated, even though it entails severe threats for both the farming and the breeding sector. * We remain at your disposal for any questions or concerns and appreciate your careful consideration of the concerns raised in the letter. Yours sincerely, *Helene Schmutzler***(She/her) Rue Marie-Thérèse 11 /Policy Coordinator on GMOs and Organic Textiles/ _+32 2 41 65 232_ BE - 1000 Brussels www.organicseurope.bio <http://www.organicseurope.bio/> VAT number: BE 0881.175.417 <https://www.organicseurope.bio/> Representing the entire organic food chain in European policymaking. Advocating for a transformation of food and farming based on the principles of organic agriculture – health, ecology, fairness and care. <https://twitter.com/OrganicsEurope><https://www.linkedin.com/company/organicseurope/>** <https://www.facebook.com/OrganicsEurope><https://www.instagram.com/organicseurope/> Subscribe to our newsletter <https://www.organicseurope.bio/newsletter/>

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Fwd: Hearing Monsanto
by Christoph Then 02 Jul '23

02 Jul '23

our patent lawyer tells us, the further procedure will be organised in writing ... this happens from time to time, maybe Monsanto now wants to drop the patent...

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