On 27 May 2025, breeders, gardeners, development organisations and environmental activists held a protest outside the European Patent Office (EPO) in The Hague, Netherlands. They filed a joint opposition against the patent, EP 3629711, which claims tomatoes with natural resistance to a virus as a ‘technical invention’. The list of opponents includes more than 40 breeders and other organisations. The protesters took sculptures more than 2 metres in height to their demonstration – the sculptures represent further patent applications on conventionally-bred tomatoes.
More info in the press release.
More info about tomato patents.
Photo credits: Oxfam Novib
For photos in high resolution please contact johanna.eckhardt@no-patents-on-seeds.org.
