Stop patents on plants and animals!
Date:April 1, 2011
Open letter to Members of the European Parliament and European Commission – Sign the letter!
The organisations behind No Patents On Seeds are especially concerned about increasing number of patents on plants, seeds and farm animals and their impact on farmers, breeders, innovation and biodiversity. These patents create new dependencies for farmers, breeders, food producers and consumers. These patents have to be regarded as misappropriation of basic resources in farm and food production and as general abuse of patent law. We call for an urgent re-think of European patent law in biotechnology and plant breeding and to support clear regulations that exclude from patentability processes for breeding, genetic material, plants and animals and food derived thereof.
Seed Treaty: Final Civil Society Statement
Date:April 1, 2011
Bali 18 March 2011
[I am speaking on behalf of Via Campesina and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) present at this fourth session of the Governing Body of the Seed Treaty (GB)
Introduction
We are pleased to take this opportunity, Chair, to say a few words of reflection on the progress of this fourth session of the GB. We thank you for your considerate approach that has made us feel welcome.
At the second meeting of the Governing Body, civil society organizations suggested that it might be more realistic to suspend the treaty than to continue to work without adequate resources. At the third meeting we remained optimistic and pressed for a programme that assumed that governments who ratified the treaty would take the responsibility to make it work. Now, we expected at this 4th session of the GB that Contracting Parties would resolve to find the means and political commitment to make the Treaty work in the interests of the majority users and developers of PGRFA – the world’s small-scale farmers. (read more)
