Joint letter – production and marketing plant reproductive material european reform: 250 european organisations urge Member States to protect and enhance agrobiodiversity

As the negotiations on the new EU Regulation on the Production and Marketing of Plant Reproductive Material (PRM) are coming to an end at the Council level, a large coalition of more than 200 organisations representing small-scale farmers, breeders, seed savers and environmental NGOs sent a joint letter to EU Ministers asking them to urgently revise their position on the PRM reform. Mètis endorses this letter, which sets out the minimum basis for defending the right to share and select farmers’ seeds. The signatories warn that the current Council proposal fails to provide the legal space necessary for farmers, breeders, and seed initiatives to continue conserving and developing Europe’s crop diversity. On the contrary, it risks being a severe setback for certain essential rights already recognized in various European countries.