{"id":126750,"date":"2026-06-17T09:19:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T07:19:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bioecoactual.com\/?p=126750"},"modified":"2026-06-17T09:19:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T07:19:51","slug":"ifoam-organics-europe-welcomes-progress-for-organic-seeds-but-regrets-limits-to-farmers-seed-exchanges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bioecoactual.com\/en\/2026\/06\/17\/ifoam-organics-europe-welcomes-progress-for-organic-seeds-but-regrets-limits-to-farmers-seed-exchanges\/","title":{"rendered":"IFOAM Organics Europe welcomes progress for organic seeds but regrets limits to farmer’s seed exchanges"},"content":{"rendered":"

After more than three years of negotiations, policymakers\u00a0reached\u00a0a\u00a0final\u00a0agreement on the\u00a0new Regulation for the\u00a0production and marketing of plant reproductive material (PRM)<\/strong>\u00a0yesterday in a final trilogue.\u00a0IFOAM Organics Europe\u00a0recognises progress in\u00a0several\u00a0areas\u00a0and looks\u00a0forward to the\u00a0development of the secondary legislation\u00a0of the text.<\/p>\n

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\"seeds\"
123RF Limited\u00a9tsareva<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cBiodiversity is\u00a0essential to make our farming systems more\u00a0resilient,\u00a0and the organic movement welcomes that\u00a0the new PRM legislation will\u00a0provide\u00a0organic farmers and breeders with access to more\u00a0genetically diverse cultivars\u201d,<\/em>\u00a0said Eric Gall, Deputy Director of IFOAM Organics Europe. IFOAM Organics Europe\u00a0acknowledges\u00a0several positive outcomes\u00a0of the\u00a0negotiations<\/strong>.\u00a0In particular,\u00a0it\u00a0welcomes\u00a0that\u00a0organic heterogeneous material (OHM) will remain regulated under the Organic Regulation, the adjusted registration protocols for organic varieties,\u00a0and adapted rules\u00a0for conservation and\u00a0locally-adapted\u00a0varieties<\/strong>.\u00a0IFOAM Organics Europe\u00a0looks forward to\u00a0the adoption\u00a0of\u00a0implementing acts for\u00a0establishing\u00a0adjusted DUS\u00a0examination protocols\u00a0per species for organic varieties.<\/p>\n

At\u00a0the same time,\u00a0the organic sector is concerned that farmers\u2019 seed exchanges could be restricted by the new legislation.<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cWhile we welcome the exclusion of gene banks\u00a0from\u00a0the scope, we regret\u00a0that\u00a0the exclusion was not extended to all\u00a0work\u00a0done for the purpose of conservation of genetic resources\u00a0and to farmers\u2019 seed exchanges\u201d,<\/em>\u00a0added Eric Gall.\u00a0The organic sector raises\u00a0concerns\u00a0that the provisions on farmers\u2019 seed exchange could result in\u00a0varied\u00a0implementation across Member States, with some\u00a0defining\u00a0strict quantity and geographical\u00a0restrictions\u00a0limiting their practical\u00a0feasibility.\u00a0\u201cThe\u00a0agrobiodiversity we\u00a0benefit\u00a0from nowadays originates\u00a0from\u00a0the dynamic management and selection\u00a0practices carried out\u00a0by\u00a0farmers\u00a0and conservation networks.\u00a0Limiting these practices\u00a0runs counter to\u00a0the\u00a0objective\u00a0of protecting agrobiodiversity and\u00a0farmers\u00a0should be allowed\u00a0to access suitable seeds for their local conditions and agricultural practices<\/em>\u201d,\u00a0he\u00a0continued.
\nIFOAM Organics Europe also\u00a0expressed\u00a0concerns\u00a0regarding\u00a0the extension of the mandatory\u00a0Value for\u00a0Sustainable\u00a0Cultivation and\u00a0Use (VSCU) tests\u00a0to potatoes and vines\u00a0as it\u00a0risks\u00a0hampering\u00a0the development of new varieties.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finally,\u00a0the organic movement is concerned that legal progress\u00a0on PRM\u00a0allowing\u00a0more\u00a0breeding\u00a0for agrobiodiversity\u00a0will be\u00a0offset and jeopardized\u00a0by\u00a0abusive\u00a0exclusive\u00a0appropriation of plant genetic resources through patents\u00a0on seeds and on\u00a0NGTs,\u00a0and\u00a0calls\u00a0on\u00a0MEPs to\u00a0vote in plenary\u00a0on 17 June in\u00a0favor\u00a0of\u00a0amendments\u00a0to\u00a0protect breeders and farmers from patents and to safeguard the European model of innovation in breeding.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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