NO PATENTS ON SEEDS AND ANIMALS

Stop the expropriation of farmers and breeders

The continuing patenting of seeds, conventional plant varieties and animal species leads to far-reaching expropriations of farmers and breeders: farmers are deprived of their rights to save their harvested seeds, and breeders are under strong limitations to use the patented seeds freely for further breeding.

The European Patent Office (EPO) has repeatedly broadened the scope of patentability and undermined existing restrictions, in the interest of multinational companies. Our food security is increasingly dependent on a few transnational chemical and biotechnological companies.

Now the European Patent Office deals with the basic question: Patents on conventional plants and animals!

The Enlarged Board of Appeal of the EPO will use a patent on broccoli (EP 1069819) for a fundamental ruling, on whether or not conventional plants are patentable. The decission of the Enlarged Board of Appeal (case T 0083/05) will be binding for all other pending patent applications and even for animals and their offspring. [ Read more ]

In a joint letter to the Enlarged Board of Appeal the organisers of this website and numerous farmers' organisations from around the globe restate their oposition to patents on conventional seeds and animals.

WE INVITE OTHER ORGANISATIONS TO CO-SIGN THE GLOBAL APPEAL ! Click here !