The European Parliament last week called on the European Patent Office to stop granting patents on the conventional breeding of plants and animals.

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The resolution in which the parliament made its calls was adopted following appeals by groups including the No Patents on Seeds coalition, who warned the practice is driving agriculture in an unsustainable direction and proving detrimental to farmers, consumers, animals and plants.

Organisations representing plant breeders, farmers and food producers voiced their discontentment before the European Parliament ahead of last week’s vote. They expressed concern that “Large corporations are abusing current patent laws in order to gain monopolistic control over global food production chains.”

Tabled by Members of Parliament from several parties, the resolution was adopted on Thursday with a large majority. It remains to be seen whether the European Patenting Office will heed the calls, though campaigners and MEPs have warned that current laws are being exploited and are no longer serving their intended purpose.

Some Member States have pledged support for the ‘Unitary Patent,’ a new pan-European patent system which, although it does not specifically deal with patents on plants or animals, could include a ‘breeders’ privilege,’ allowing breeders to have free access to breeding material and its independent usage – including materials already patented.

However, campaigners have expressed concern at some governments’ course of action; No Patents on Seeds spokesperson Christoph Then warned, “Important governments such as Germany and France are much more interested in haggling for the seat for a new European patent litigation court and in return would no longer insist on the breeders’ privilege. This is a bargain clearly at odds with the interests of society. We are calling on EU governments to send a clear signal that they will no longer accept the abuse of the European patent system and will implement clear measures against the greed of a few international companies.”

Nevertheless, the European Parliament’s resolution has been greeted as a success by campaigners. Ruth Tippe, another No Patents On Seeds spokesperson said, “This vote cannot be ignored by the European Patent Office – it is time to stop the sell-out of resources needed for our daily lives.”

GM Freeze Campaign Director Pete Riley also expressed support for the announcement, “It is extraordinary that the European Patents Office even considered [patenting conventionally bred organisms], as the practice restricts access to the world’s genetic resources to patents holders and those who can afford to buy the rights to use the patented material. This kind of monopolistic control leads to a loss of agricultural biodiversity at a time when we need it most to ensure all plant and animal breeders throughout the world can continue to produce new varieties and strains that can cope with our rapidly changing world.”

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