Along with 38 organisations, ECVC co-signed an open letter which was sent to the European Commission on Tuesday May 31st 2023, asking for a meaningful revision of the seed marketing legislation.
As we are waiting the publication of the proposal by DG SANTE in the coming weeks, this open letter aims to reaffirm that we need seeds marketing rules which increase diversity in the commercial seed offer but also, very importantly, allow dynamic management of seeds on the farm. In this regard, the letter reaffirms ECVC's demand to remove peasant seeds systems (i.e. exchange and sale of seeds between peasants) from the scope of seeds marketing legislation, and to have it considered as mutual aid in the framework of agricultural production. The letter stresses the need to urgently implement a legislative framework allowing the renewal of seed diversity and dynamic management, which are key for the transition to truly sustainable and low-input farming systems.
The letter also reminded the European Commission that only food systems can be truly sustainable, not varieties alone. In consequence, it expressed our opposition to the introduction of a sustainability assessment for varieties, which could be an entry door to deregulate new GMOs under the claim these traits are "sustainable".
With this letter, it's essential to keep in mind that the proposal on seeds marketing and the proposal of the European Commission to deregulate new GMOs are deeply connected. Without traceability of new GMOs, positive achievements expected in the upcoming seed marketing reforms will be undermined. In this context, the letter also demanded:
- That if any sustainability evaluation of seed varieties was to be introduced, it should be kept completely separate from risk assessment and evaluation of new GMOs
- To ensure traceability of all GMOs and provide clear information on the packaging for users concerning the breeding techniques and intellectual property rights.
You can consult the open letter in English, French, Spanish and German.