Let’s Liberate Diversity! News
New paper on consequences of deregulation on the seed sector
New IG Saatgut position paper on the deregulation of NGTs in the EU
A summary of our IG Saatgut’s new position paper with “Non-GM seed production at risk: Practical consequences of a deregulation of NGTs for the seed sector” is now available. The summary is available both in English and German. The translation of the whole document into English will come later, as it is still being translated.
The paper is structured in such a way that, in addition to a brief assessment of the current situation at the beginning, the middle section describes the vulnerability of seed production and the consequences of
deregulating NGT plants for this. You will also find a diagram showing possible contamination pathways. The paper concludes with IG Saatgut’s demands, which are based on the contexts described.
Please feel free to share it widely!
IG Saatgut are also available for explanatory presentations or in-depth assessments of the topic, so please do not hesitate to contact them.
IG Saatgut – Summary (DT) IG Saatgut – Summary (ENG)
Online Seed Policy Workshop – January 2026
ARCHE NOAH is organising an online seed policy workshop this coming January
If you have previously indicated your interest in ARCHE NOAH’s Online Seed Policy Workshop, the date has now been set to 27-28 January. Please block the following times (CET):
- 27.1.2026: 9.00-15.00 with a lunch break
- 28.1.2026: 9.00-12.00
ARCHE NOAH will circulate an agenda and registration link in the coming weeks. For now, please kindly save the date.
Content of the workshop
The trilogue negotiations on a new seed marketing legislation might start already in the beginning of next year. As the results of these negotiations will be crucial for seed diversity, we want to invite you to a Seed Policy Workshop in order to discuss common positions, red lines and possible actions for the trilogue negotiations.
Who is the workshop for?
The workshop is intended for representatives of organisations that are actively working on the seed marketing reform. It will require a working knowledge of the legislative proposal – we can provide an overview of the positions of the European Parliament and the Council in advance.
“Raise our Forks” Update
“Raise our Forks!” Petition
The proposed new EU regulation on the production and marketing of plant reproductive material, presented by the European Commission in July 2023, and the current state of negotiations in the Council, threaten the conservation and circulation of crop diversity. It disregards the right of farmers and gardeners to harvest, use, exchange, and sell their own seeds, a right enshrined in international law. This is unacceptable.
The petition calls on the European Parliament and the Council to adopt legislation that enables the free circulation of diverse seeds, enhances biodiversity, respects farmers’ rights, and lays the foundation for a sustainable, resilient, and diverse food system.
Update on the petition
What to do next
Handover Toolkit_Ministers_Raise our Forks_2025.
Launch of the DiverSeedPaths Booklet on EU Seed Policy and Legislation
The DiverSeedPaths project is proud to announce the release of its latest publication, “Capacity Building on European Seed Policy and Legislation”. This practical and accessible resource is designed to empower farmers, seed savers, policymakers, and...
EC-LLD! – Report from the FAO Working Group Session on PGRFA – Review of the Global Plan of Action
This week, the European Coordination Let’s Liberate Diversity (ECLLD) participated as an observer in the FAO Working Group on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. The session marks an important step in the revision of the Global Plan of Action (GPA), a...
Call for urgent and important changes to the EU seed regulation proposal
Early next week (9-10 December 2024) the Agriculture and Fisheries Council of the EU will discuss the new EU Regulation on the Production and Marketing of Plant Reproductive Material (PRM) that was proposed by the Commission in July 2023. This proposal is particularly detrimental as it threatens the conservation and circulation of the diversity of cultivated plants in favour of industrial seed production, disregarding farmers’ right to harvest, use, exchange and sell their own seeds,
as enshrined in international law.
For over a year now, organisations all over Europe have joined forces and garnered public support through the Raise your fork for diversity! campaign, which has reached nearly 170,000 signatures. The latest step in the advocacy to oppose the proposal has been a joint Call for Urgent and Important Changes, sent by 139 organisations to the 27 EU Agriculture Ministers and the new EU Health Commissioner, Olivér Várhelyi, in advance of the Council meeting next week,.
In their press release, the organisations explain:
The current legislative proposal poses a massive threat to the diversity of our cultivated plants and to the right of our farmers to use their own seeds
…
Based on the proposal, activities aimed at saving rare varieties—such as the transfer of cuttings from endangered apple trees or sharing of endangered bean varieties— would be regulated as “marketing” for the first time.
Four demands are put forward with regards to the new EU seed legislation:
- The conservation and sustainable use of locally adaptable crop diversity is the over-riding priority.
- The human right of farmers and gardeners to harvest, use, exchange and sell their own seeds must be implemented fully.
- The marketing of diverse and locally adaptable varieties by regional seed producers must be facilitated.
- Newly approved varieties must not be dependent on pesticides or synthetic fertilisers.
Read the full press release: 139 Organisations and 160000 citizens appeal to EU Agriculture Ministers
Learn more about the public campaign and give your support by signing the petition.
Final Report Released: 13th Let’s Liberate Diversity! Forum and International Gathering “Sow Your Resistance”
We are delighted to announce the release of the Final Report of the 13th Let’s Liberate Diversity! Forum, which in 2024 was hosted as part of the International Gathering “Sow Your Resistance” in Antibes, France. Co-organised by Réseau Semences Paysannes (RSP), SOL,...
Support the European Citizens’ Initiative on the Right to Food!
In May 2024, the second European Citizens’ Initiative Forum for the Right to Food was held in Geneva, Switzerland. The event brought together over 70 participants who engaged in various working groups over the three days, initiating a collaborative process to advocate for the right to food.
European Citizens’ Initiative Forum for the Right to Food, May 2024
The European Citizens’ Initiative on the Right to Food has been submitted
Last month, the Brussels-based NGO Good Food for All – EU (GFFA-EU) officially submitted the European Citizens’ Initiative on the Right to Food to the European Commission. Once confirmed, the ECI will open a for signature collection. One million verified signatures from EU citizens and minimum threshold of signatures across seven EU states are needed for the European Commission to consider proposing new laws on the right to food.
For now, it is time to organize. Participants of the May 2024 Forum are invited to collaborate with Good Foor for All – EU in driving the ECI campaign.
How can you support?
1. Join the Coalition
If your organization supports the Right to Food and wants to be part of this European force for change, please fill out this short form to officially express your interest in joining the coalition:
→ Join the Coalition Form
Once submitted, we will follow up with the Memorandum of Understanding for formalization. We are also appointing national focal points, so if your organization wants to take that lead, let us know in the form.
2. Join the Campaigning Working Group
We are relaunching the pan-European campaign we began designing last year. We need political communicators, campaigners, creative agencies, grassroots mobilizers, and fierce allies.
If your organization can contribute, or if you want to refer someone else, please fill out this form:
→ Join the Campaign Group Form
3. Spread the Fire
Talk about the ECI on the Right to Food! Share the links. Use your channels. Mobilize your networks. Be the voice of the Right to Food in your country, your organization, your city.
Let’s Liberate Diversity! Forum 2025 – Registration Now Open
We are excited to announce that registration is now open for the Let’s Liberate Diversity! Forum 2025, co-organised by Let’s Liberate Diversity!, Lycée Technicque Agricole (LTA), SEED Luxembourg, and LUGA Join us in Luxembourg from 4 to 6 September 2025 for a...
