Brussels, Belgium
May 6, 2013

Source: European Seed Association (ESA)

The European Commission presented today a long-awaited legislative package on Healthier Animals and Plants for a Safer Agri-Food Chain. This package includes a proposal to revise the Plant Health legislation and to establish a new Regulation on the production and marketing of plant reproductive material.

The European seed industry welcomes the ambition of the European Commission to provide a modern legal framework for seed that is adapted to the competitiveness and vitality of the industry. The aim of simplification and harmonisation, by bringing all former crop-specific directives into a single regulation, will provide a stronger basis for the productivity, sustainability, diversity and quality of agricul-ture, horticulture and food / feed production across Europe.

One of the main innovations of the package is to integrate seed under the control of the Food and Veterinary Office. This will help ensure that the rules that are being decided at European level are implemented in a harmonised manner, which is a precondition for a thriving common market for seed in Europe. In addition, as the very first element of the crop production chain, further alignment between plant health and seed marketing legislation is essential to guarantee that healthy and high quality seeds are being placed on the market.

But there needs to be continuity. “Since the first directives were adopted in the 1960s, the EU seed marketing legislation has been an effective tool for developing the professional seed market and has continuously spurred innovation in plant breeding”, comments Garlich von Essen, Secretary General of ESA. “We call for Member States and the European Parliament to ensure that this new Regulation will build on this success story for Europe”.

ESA looks forward to the discussions with Members of the European Parliament and Member States on this crucial dossier, at a time when food security poses such a challenge on productive and sustainable agriculture. “High quality seed is the foundation of sustainable and competitive farming in Europe”, says von Essen. “Decision makers have the responsibility to ensure that legal frameworks support breeders and farmers in developing and accessing the highest quality seed”.

With the package adopted still in May, ESA is confident that the European Parlia-ment and Member States may reach an agreement still before summer 2014 and is committed to promote the role of the European plant breeding sector in this respect.

Website: http://www.euroseeds.org

Published: May 6, 2013