Dear all,

 

We have received a reply from the German ministry to our open letter on patents and NGTs, sent off by IFOAM Organics Europe on July 3 (I posted the letter in the attachment for reference – many organizations on this mailing list signed on). The letters main message was to urge ministers as well as Commissioner Wojciechowski and Breton to refrain from taking any steps that could facilitate the commercialisation of more patented plant varieties. We asked ministers 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.

 

Since the reply to this letter bv BMEL is in German (also in attachment), I ran the text through Deepl and paste here the response.

 

[I share your critical assessment of the EU Commission's proposal for a Regulation with regard to its possible effects on an increased use of patenting in animal and plant breeding.Even if the proposal itself does not contain any new regulations for this area, it is still area, it is nevertheless imperative that these effects be analysed and taken into and to take them into account. The EU Commission has announced that it will first analyse the effects of the proposed regulation within the framework of a broader market analysis and to present a report on the impact of patenting by 2026. From the point of view of the Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture (BMEL), however, this is not sufficient to meet the expectations of many sides, including you, to counteract a sharp increase in patenting practice in the seed sector. The Federal Association of German Plant Breeders also believes that this would be to the detriment of medium-sized breeding companies, which are particularly strong in Germany. In addition, patents on seeds could lead to liability risks along the entire value chain, including trade.

 

In the further course of the procedure, the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMEL) will therefore advocate that the possible effects of the of the Commission's proposal on the practice of patenting in agriculture are considered and to develop appropriate solutions.

 

Dr Ophelia Nick

Parliamentary State Secretary

Member of the German Bundestag].

 

I would say a quite constructive and clear message from the BMEL which the German organizations in this coalition should definitely hold the ministry accountable for in the coming months.

 

Have a good rest of the week!

Kind regards,

 

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	VAT number: BE 0881.175.417
	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. ­         Subscribe to our newsletter