Dear all,
as Dagmar informed us at today’s conference call, there will be a vote in the ENVI Committee on Monday, 11 March / 19h CET on Plant reproductive material. Some proposed amendments concern as well patents.
This is an important opportunity for us!
That is why we will send the email below (draft) today or tomorrow to the ENVI MEPs. We will send a follow up email on Wednesday or Thursday and want to call the most relevant MEPs (EPP, Renew Europe –>36 MEPs, if possible as well S&D) – ideally on Thursday – or else on Friday/Monday.
I won’t manage to call all MEPs. So could you please help and call the MEPs from your country – and if possible as well from other countries?
Please let me know so that we can coordinate.
ARCHE NOAH provided us with the list of MEPs – see attached (we only need ENVI). More info in Dagmar’s briefing below.
If you need more info, just let me know.
Kind regards,
Johanna
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Dagmar’s briefing:
- Our proposal for action for NPOS members and Christoph and Johanna
- Today or Tuesday: Send mail to all ENVI MEPs reminding them about the importance of the issue of patents on seeds
- refer to the ENVI committee vote (date = March 11) and the name of regulation (Production and marketing of plant reproductive material in the Union)
- explain why stopping patents on seeds is important (for farmers, for diversity, for the environment, etc., you choose the focus)
- we mostly need to convince MEPs from Renew, EPP (and if you have time also S&D). Try to appeal to their language and values
- Wednesday (latest Thursday): Send voting recommendations to all ENVI MEPs
- We will have more information on the final amendments and will circulate them.
- It’s important to remind them to vote against patents on seeds, why it’s important, and show how exactly they can do that.
- Thursday (best), Friday and next Monday: Call MEPS (EPP, Renew, if you have time S &D) to talk to them about the patent amendments
- After you have sent your voting recommendations call MEPs to check if they got them (usually yes) and if they have read them (usually no). Ask them how they will vote on patents. If you can’t reach the MEPs ask for the assistant working on the ENVI file.
You can find their phone numbers on the EP website https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/home - call them in Brussels this week, or in Strasbourg on Monday.
Why contacting them so often: MEPs get hundreds of emails every day. Industry lobbyists are at least as pushy. This is a very rare chance to improve the situation on patents in Europe!
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DRAFT EMAIL
Subject: Plant reproductive material and patents on conventionally bred plants for vote in ENVI next week!
Dear Members of the Environmental Committee of the European Parliament
next week, by voting about the new regulation on plant reproductive material (PRM), you will have the chance to stop patents on conventionally bred plants!
In its vote on 7 February, the EP demanded to stop patents on NGT plants. However, its is not yet clear, if this can be decided by the EU. Therefore, now use the chance, to prohibit patents on conventionally bred plants, as a first step!
As shown in recent example on a patent on lettuce, the European Patent Office is granting patents that include both, genetically engineered plants and those which are obtained from conventional breeding (https://www.no-patents-on-seeds.org/en/patent-cases/salad-hot-climate). Meanwhile, around 1200 conventionally bred varieties are already concerned by such patents!
The starting point to stop these patents is to change the wording of the EU patent directive 98/44 in its Article 2.2. and thus clarifying the definition of essentially biological processes which are not patentable. In result, conventionally bred plants have to remain free from any patent claims! This is essential to maintain biodiversity in plants breeding and to encourage competition for producing new and better varieties.
Therefore, please, in the vote next week, support all amendments that can help to safeguard the freedom to operate for conventional plant breeders!
If you have any questions or need for more information, please let us know. We would be happy to arrange for meetings.
with kind regards,
Mag. Johanna ECKHARDT
Project Coordination
Tel. +43 680 21 26 343
johanna.eckhardt@no-patents-on-seeds.org
NO PATENTS ON SEEDS!
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