Agricultural companies continue to hold patents on conventionally-bred fruits, vegetables and cereals, such as barley, even though this is not allowed under European patent law. Similar patents have also been filed on animals. Conventionally-bred plants and animals are not an invention! Implement existing prohibitions now to stop the big agricultural companies from taking control of our food! Call for a ministerial conference to stop patents on seeds!
Sign the petition here! |
Our demand: A conference of the ministers from the contracting states of the EPO to be held within one year, which must take prompt action to implement effective measures to stop patents on conventional plant and animal breeding. All possible measures must be taken on both a national and European level to stop patents on conventionally-bred plants and animals.
This must include prohibiting patents on the processes of crossing, selection and random mutations, as well as taking measures to prevent the extension of the scope of patents granted on genetic engineering techniques to plants and animals derived from conventional breeding.
The scope of patents on plant and animal breeding needs to be restricted to the specific process of genetic engineering in order to make existing prohibitions effective.
