News Archive

ETC Group/USC Canada Seed Map Portal

11 June 2014

Seedmap.org is an online portal on seeds, biodiversity and food. It allows users to connect to information, organizations resources, events and debates relating to food security. It is also a valuable teaching & advocacy tool and reference point on seeds, biodiversity, and food. The heart of Seedmap.org is an interactive map that allows users to visit hundreds of case studies around the world where agricultural biodiversity originated, is threatened, and where people are working to safeguard it.

See Seed Map

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Open Letter to Members of the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV)

10 April 2014

ARIPO’s Draft Protocol for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (“DRAFT Protocol”) Undermines Farmers’ Rights, Lacks Credibility & Legitimacy 

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Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) strongly condemns sleight of hand moves by ARIPO to join UPOV 1991, bypass national laws and outlaw Farmers' Rights

4 April 2014

Addis Ababa, Accra 3 April 2014 - The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) strongly condemns the move by the African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO) to join UPOV 1991, which will effectively outlaw the centuries-old African farmers’ practice of freely using, exchanging and selling seeds/propagating material. These practices underpin 90% of the agricultural system within the ARIPO region.

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AFSA's comments on ARIPO's responses to Civil Society on Draft ARIPO Legal Framework on Plant Variety Protection

31 March 2014

African civil society & AFSA have made several submissions to ARIPO detailing its many concerns with the content of the Draft Legal Framework on PVP, which is based on UPOV 1991, and the bias and lack of transparency in the processes leading to the finalization of the Draft ARIPO Legal Framework on Plant Variety Protection. Most recently AFSA submitted detailed comments to ARIPO's responses to civil society.

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Chile withdraws controversial ‘Monsanto Law’ from Congress

28 March 2014

Following protests in many Chilean cities (see APBREBES Updates issue #3) and years of controversy, on 18th March, the Chilean government withdrew from its legislative process, the proposed Plant Growers Law (commonly known as "the Monsanto Law") that would have brought Chilean PVP law in line with UPOV 1991

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Civil society organisations from all over the world petition Ghana’s Parliament on Plant Breeders Bill

20 March 2014

Food Sovereignty Ghana - February 20, 2014: Organizations from Africa and around the world petition Ghana’s Parliament: Ghana’s Plant Breeders Bill Lacks Legitimacy! It Must Be Revised

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Biopiracy of Turkey's purple carrot

24 February 2014

Agribusiness giant Monsanto is marketing a purple carrot originating in Turkey over which Monsanto has claims plant variety rights in the EU and the US.

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Canada's National Farmers Union Launch Campaign Against UPOV 1991

11 February 2014
- by
APBREBES

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Massive Protests in Ghana over UPOV style Plant Breeders' Bill

11 February 2014
- by
APBREBES

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Study on "Concentration of Market Power in the EU Seed Market"

11 February 2014
- by
APBREBES

This new study commissioned by the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament sheds light on the increasing concentration within the EU seed market. It concludes that industry's mantra that the EU market is healthy and diversified , with 7000 mainly small and medium enterprises is misleading.

It finds that the 7000 seed companies operating in the EU are mainly seed producers/multipliers and traders rather than breeders and they are increasingly being bought up or becoming dependent upon a few huge companies.

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