Speakers

  • Johanna Eckhardt
    Johanna Eckhardt
    Project coordination No patents on seeds!

    Project coordination No patents on seeds!

  • Helene Maierhofer
    Helene Maierhofer
    Arche Noah

    Helene Maierhofer (Arche Noah) engages in participatory vegetable breeding and research on vegetable diversity, coordinating cultivar trials on farms and research stations. She is coordinator of a participatory breeding working group of tomatoes.

  • Francois Meienberg
    Francois Meienberg
    Coordinator of APBREBES

    Francois Meienberg is the coordinator of the Association For Plant Breeding For The Benefit of Society (APBREBES). APBREBES is a global network of civil society organisations that advocates for plant breeding for the benefit of society, the full implementation of farmers’ rights to plant genetic resources and the promotion of agricultural biodiversity.

  • Grietje Raaphorst
    Grietje Raaphorst
    Nordic Maize Breeding
  • Lena Hüttmann
    Lena Hüttmann

Organizer

No patents on seeds!
No patents on seeds!
Website
https://www.no-patents-on-seeds.org/

Other Organizers

Nordic Maize Breeding
Nordic Maize Breeding
Website
https://nordicmaize.com/en/home
IG Saatgut
IG Saatgut
Website
https://www.ig-saatgut.de/
Association for Plant Breeding for the Benefit of Society (APBREBES)
Association for Plant Breeding for the Benefit of Society (APBREBES)
Website
https://www.apbrebes.org/

Location

Castello dell'Acciaiolo, Scandicci
Castello dell’Acciaiolo, Scandicci
Website
https://share.google/wAmE44olVtuSMns5d

Date

May 24 2026
Expired!

Time

3:00 pm – 4:45 pm

WS 8: Plant variety protection, NGTs and patents Updates on political debates and cooperation amongst organic breeders, growers and NGOs

In this workshop we will present the latest research by NO PATENTS ON SEEDS! in regards to patents being granted and applied for on traditional breeding in Europe, provide information on the review process for Community Plant Variety Rights, which has just begun, and give an overview of the political discussions surrounding the deregulation of plants derived from New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) in the EU.

Together with the participants, we aim to facilitate an exchange on how breeders, growers and NGOs can navigate this challenging political landscape, how they can collaborate effectively, and which steps can be taken to safeguard traditional breeding and farmers’ rights in Europe and elsewhere.

Lena Hüttmann from IG Saatgut will focus on consequences the deregulation of NGTs could have for seed savers and breeders in their practical work. ARCHE NOAH will present an open-source breeding programme focused on developing resistance to the TBRF virus in tomatoes. Grietje Raaphorst-Travaille from Nordic Maize Breeding will speak about her experience as an organic breeder being directly affected by patents. And François Meienberg from APBREBES will highlight how European free trade agreements are undermining farmers’ rights in the Global South.