An effective plant breeding sector is essential for a variety of societal goals.
A coalition of seed and plant producers have requested that the European Commission considers reviewing the Council Regulation on the protection of Community Plant Variety Rights (CPVR). The request was prompted by the failure to include the Community Plant Variety Rights system in the EU’s Intellectual Property (IP) Roadmap. The Roadmap sets out a plan for the improvement of IP protection laws and mechanisms in the EU.
The coalition’s request was made in an open letter to the EU Directorate-General for Health and Safety. Signatories include Euroseeds; which represents several thousand seed businesses and 67 companies from seed related industries.
The letter states that ‘An effective plant breeding sector is essential for a variety of societal goals such as improving sustainable production systems and [maintaining] quality of agricultural and horticultural products. The European Green Deal and Farm to Fork strategies will not deliver their goals without plant breeding. Breeders need an effective IP system in order to continue to invest in this important work. It is of utmost importance for breeders and growers that the EU Plant Variety Rights system is robust and effective. ‘
The coalition argues that the 25 year old CPVR system fails to adapt to the latest developments in global agriculture, horticulture and plant breeding technologies. During 2011 a request was made for improvement of the Basic Regulation, but no legislative actions have been taken since.
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