EU Council’s new ruling on Plant Reproductive Material
Last December, the EU Council voted to begin negotiations on new rules for the management of plant and forest reproductive material (PRM).
You can read the EU Council’s press release here: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2025/12/10/council-agrees-negotiating-position-on-new-rules-for-plant-reproductive-material/
IFOAM warns the Council’s position is still harmful to farmers and agrobiodiversity
IFOAM issued a press release in response to the Council’s ruling. You can read it here: https://www.organicseurope.bio/news/ifoam-organics-europe-warns-the-councils-prm-position-limits-farmers-choice-and-jeopardises-agrobiodiversity/
IFOAM warns:
- The deletion of the reference to assessing uniformity through off-type, as long as adapted testing protocols have not yet been adopted, could undermine the registration of organic varieties.
- The Council restricted local varieties to only fruits and vegetables and limited them geographically. Much work is ongoing on arable local varieties across Europe, and it is essential that the legal framework allows their registration and marketing.
- Farmers’ exchanges of PRM allow only exchanges in kind, in small quantities and at local level.
- The Council’s position is too restrictive for networks and organisations involved in the conservation and dynamic management of genetic diversity. Their role is essential to maintain and enhance diversity in European fields and must be facilitated.
Read the full press release here: https://www.organicseurope.bio/news/ifoam-organics-europe-warns-the-councils-prm-position-limits-farmers-choice-and-jeopardises-agrobiodiversity/
ARCHE NOAH objects to the Council’s ruling in a press release
Our colleagues at ARCHE NOAH also published a press release explaining the risks of the Council’s position for farmer’s rights and agrobiodiversity.
Read here: EU Agriculture Ministers Restrict Farmers’ Rights
