The Upcoming EU Seed Law and Its Implication for Agrobiodiversity

Imagine being told you are no longer allowed to grow potatoes, lentils, beans, or even wheat in your backyard. It sounds absurd — yet this is precisely the kind of restriction that could become European law if ongoing negotiations on seed regulation go the wrong way.

Indeed, new rules are currently being defined at European level to update and harmonise legislation on the production and marketing of seeds and other plant reproductive material (PRM) such as seedlings or cuttings. The existing framework is a patchwork of over ten pieces of legislations, some dating back to the 1960s, applied inconsistently across Member States. An overhaul of the system has therefore gradually become necessary, and the stakes are high: the new regulation could either help reverse the dramatic loss of agricultural biodiversity or accelerate it.

The final negotiations – known as “Trilogues”, where the European Commission, Parliament and Council forge compromises between their respective positions – are currently raising serious alarm among farmers, organic breeders, seed companies, and seed conservation networks.