“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
The good news: ARCHE NOAH’s petition “Raise Our Forks!” has reached over 200,000 signatures! Thank you for all your support in promoting the petition — this shows strong civil society pressure for a fair new EU seed law.
The bad news: The position of the Council of Agriculture Ministers on the new EU regulation is not favorable to diversity — especially regarding the registration of conservation varieties, farmer seed exchange, administrative burdens for nano-enterprises, and the framework for non-profit conservation activities. The Council is likely to conclude its negotiations in the coming weeks — at the meeting of EU Agriculture Ministers on 11 December at the latest — so we have only a small window of opportunity to push Ministers to support rules that promote, rather than discriminate against, diversity.
What to do next
ARCHE NOAH therefore strongly urge you to organise a handover of the petition to your Agriculture Minister in November.
ARCHE NOAH have prepared a toolkit with information on how to do this: 
Handover Toolkit_Ministers_Raise our Forks_2025.
Handover Toolkit_Ministers_Raise our Forks_2025.Ps.: With great pictures of us from the forum photoshoot. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. Also, please coordinate with other organisations from your country who support the petition — you can find the list at www.raiseourforks.org.
If you’re unable to organise a handover, please at least share the success of reaching 200,000 signatures on social media. Suggested posts are included in the toolkit — or feel free to create your own.
ARCHE NOAH hope to hand over the petition to the Austrian Minister in the coming weeks. It’s not easy to get a meeting with him, but they’re still trying. If he does not make time for 200,000 signatures, they will stage a handover without him to highlight the shirking of political responsibility on this important file (see more about this option in the toolkit). They also plan to organise a handover to the negotiating team of the European Parliament in the coming weeks.
Finally, please share your plans with ARCHE NOAH (and other organisations)— by E-Mail and/or on social media — so the message can be amplified.
