Slide presentation (24 May 2026) by NO PATENTS ON SEEDS! summarising legal background, recent patents on classical breeding and NGTs, risks for breeders, and policy recommendations to clarify exclusion of classical breeding from patentability.
NGTs
Breeding maize with PVP, patents and NGTs
Presentation on how PVP, patents and NGTs shape maize breeding, seed industry consolidation, barriers for small breeders (DUS/VCU, registration), and advocacy for breeders’ exemption, regional and community-supported breeding.
Deregulation of plants obtained by New Genomic Techniques – Update & Outlook
Presentation on EU deregulation of NGT plants: timeline, trilogue outcomes (NGT1 treated as conventional, limited labelling, no monitoring), pipeline and cultivation status, legal challenge options and suggested actions for NGOs, breeders and consumers.
15th Let’s Liberate Diversity! Forum – Scandicci 2026 – Final report
Final report of the 15th Let’s Liberate Diversity! Forum (May 2026, Scandicci) summarising workshops on EU seed law reform, NGTs, patents, seed systems, community seed initiatives, Living Labs and festival activities.
14th Let’s Liberate Diversity! Forum – Luxembourg 2025 – Final report
Final report of the 14th Let’s Liberate Diversity! Forum (4–6 Sep 2025, Luxembourg): 123 participants discussed EU seed law reform, UNDROP, patents, NGTs, participatory breeding, seed health, community seed networks and next steps for advocacy and practice.
80 percent of European citizens say NO to patents on seeds
No Patents on Seeds! recently published the results of a public opinion survey on plant and animal patents. The results are clear, European citizens are against it.
European Patent Office tries to knock out European patent law
New rule was intended to prevent patents on traditional plant breeding 19 February 2026 / The European Patent Office has granted patent EP3720272 claiming traditionally-bred tomatoes with resistance to a plant virus (TBRFV) to the Dutch company Rijk Zwaan. The gene...
New paper on consequences of deregulation on the seed sector
Our colleagues at IG Saatgut have shared with us a summary of their latest position paper on NGTs. You can find the summary paper in this post.
EU plant breeders up against patents by the multinationals
More and more plant breeding material in the EU is getting patented by multinationals giants, a development that poses costs and hurdles for those small breeders that are working to maintain agrobiodiversity, a means of resilience in the face of climate change.
APBREBES Newsletter #62
The April 2024 issue of the APBREBES newsletter is published on their website. Topics: UPOV and smallholder rights, NGTS and EU regulation.
