15th LLD Forum in Scandicci, 24 May 2026
Presentation by Johanna Eckhardt (NO PATENTS ON SEEDS!) given at the 15th LLD Forum (24 May 2026) that provides an overview of recent political debates and coordination among organic breeders, growers and NGOs on patents, plant variety protection and new genomic techniques (NGTs). It outlines NO PATENTS ON SEEDS! as a European coalition and its activities (research, oppositions, campaigns), presents survey results opposing patents on seeds, and explains the legal framework (EU Biotech Directive 98/44/EC and the European Patent Convention, Article 53(b)). The slides summarise patent trends (approximately 1,500 applications on classical breeding 2009–2024; around 40 patents in 2025), list notable 2025 patents and cases (including patents on virus resistance in tomatoes and overlapping claims on the same chromosome), and highlight risks for breeders (threats to freedom to operate, examples of biopiracy). The talk concludes with policy recommendations asking the EU to clarify that classical breeding is excluded from patentability, to address implementing regulations at the EPO, and to resolve the question of patentability in the Commission’s proposal on plants obtained from new genetic engineering. Links to NO PATENTS ON SEEDS! publications and reports are referenced for more detailed recommendations.
Key topics: patents, EU seed law, EPO, NGTs, classical breeding, tomato virus resistance, biopiracy, LLD Forum, LLD2026
