Press releases

For years the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) has linked yield increases in Vietnam to the introduction of the UPOV system. A study «Plant Variety Protection in Practice in Vietnam: The Pains in the Gains Achieved» published today reveals that the message spread by UPOV to promote its system is absurd, incorrect, and misleading. SEARICE, APBREBES and Fastenopfer therefore call on UPOV and all other stakeholders to stop spreading misinformation about the benefits of Vietnam’s membership to UPOV.

A new tool to assist developing countries in designing a “custom made” plant variety protection legislation suitable for the seed and agricultural systems that prevail in developing countries has been published by an international group of NGOs.

The ground breaking “Plant Variety Protection in Developing Countries: A Tool for Designing a Sui Generis Plant Variety Protection System: An Alternative to UPOV 1991” is authored by intellectual property expert Professor Carlos Correa with contributions from Sangeeta Shashikant and François Meienberg.

Today, the UPOV Council adopted new rules for granting of observers status to its sessions. These amendments are aimed at restricting the participation of NGOs and farmer communities in UPOV meetings.

This week the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) celebrates its 50th anniversary behind closed doors. UPOV has in its first 50 years, especially through its 1991 Convention strengthened breeders’ rights and supported the interest of the seed industry at the expense of farmers’ rights and the interests and needs of developing countries putting the right to food at risk. - To play a role in sustainable development and food security the organisation needs a dramatic change.

The decision of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) to grant observer status to civil society and farmers’ organizations at its annual ordinary session on October 21, 2010 suggest the possibility of a new era of transparency and inclusiveness in UPOV’s discussions.

by European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC) & Association for Plant Breeding for the Benefit of Society (APBREBES)
The International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) will decide next week if it will open its doors to farmers and civil society organizations that work in the interest of peasants, small and medium scale farmers and the broader public.

Par Coordination Paysanne Européenne - CPE (maintenant European Coordination Via Campesina - ECVC), Development Fund, LI-Bird, Déclaration de Berne, Searice, Third World Network en Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL).
Le 21 octobre 2009, le Conseil de l'Union pour la Protection des Obtentions Végétales (UPOV) a rejeté la demande d'accréditation de l’association « Association of Plant Breeding for the Benefit of Society » (APREBES ) et ECVC (précédemment CPE).

By Coordination Paysanne Européenne - CPE (now known as European Coordination Via Campesina - ECVC), Development Fund, LI-Bird, Berne Declaration, Searice, Third World Network and Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)
On 21st October 2009, the Consultative Committee of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) rejected the application by the Association of Plant Breeding for the Benefit of Society (APBREBES) and the European Coordination Via Campesina (then known as CPE) for observer status in UPOV Bodies.