patents
19 July 2010: No Patents on Seeds Conference
Stop the EU Unitary Patent on Seeds!
ASEED is against patents on seeds and for the accessibility of seeds for farmers and gardeners. As part of our campaign work we promote alternative networks that save and exchange the seeds and protect and maintain the agricultural diversity. But we really appreciate it that other organisations are following the developments with the European legislation in detail. Below you can read a press release from 'No Patents on Seeds' about the way the role of the European Court of Justice in patent cases is decimated and about the weakening of the breeders rights. Another alarming developments is that the procedures become so expensive that only corporations will be able to interfere in the process. For civil society organisations and farmers it will become almost impossible to react on proposed legislation in an official way.
Read more...Report of the 'Reclaim the Seeds' weekend 2012
See the first report in Dutch
10-11 March 2012,
Plantage Doklaan 8-12, Amsterdam
Just before spring seeds and seedlings are ready to be put into the ground, a seed exchange will be held during the weekend of 10-11 March in Amsterdam. On Saturday there will be a market where seeds will be sold, traded and given away. In addition to stalls with seeds from the Netherlands, we expect a number of international collectives specialized in saving and spreading a great diversity of fruit and vegetable crops. There will also be information stands from relevant organizations, as well as workshops, discussions and film screenings.
Read more...Dutch debate on patenting and breeders' rights not finished
Monsanto looking for trouble
Patent inspection at 'Come into the Greenhouse' event'Flevoland, March 27, 2010 – Today a CSI Crime Seed Investigation unit visited several greenhouses at the national event Come into the Greenhouse visualising what the future may look like: world's largest seed company Monsanto will check growers for the presence of suspicious crops and prevent them from using patented seeds or accuse them of patent breach. With this action A SEED wants to draw attention to the international campaign 'No Patents On Seeds' against applying patent law on seeds and animals. Read more...
Pigs and chickens - how animal breeding gets dominated by the biotech-business
With stock-breeding there are animals and feed that those animals are supposed to eat so humans will be able to consume the meat, milk or the egg. This is in general a not very efficient way of producing food, but this is how it has been done for many millenniums. The scale of this process is increasing ever more and on the A SEED website you can find a lot of information about the problems that result from this.But the developments continue: now there is the Monsanto pig™ that is eating Monsanto feed™. And also The Netherlands is participating with enthusiasm; Hendrix Genetics is one of the world leading companies when it comes to hybrid chicken, pigs and turkeys. Read more...
Stop "Monsantosizing" food, seeds & animals!
- Sign the Petition until July 2010! -
Farmers’ organisations from around the world, breeders, UN institutions as well as development and environmental organisations have repeatedly raised major concerns about the increasing monopolisation of seeds and farm animals via patents over the last few years. The loss of independence and rising indebtedness for farmers, a reduction of plant and animal diversity, and ever higher constraints for breeding and research activities represent some of the most worrying impacts of this trend. But despite these alarming experiences so far no legal measures are in sight to stop this trend. Tens of thousands of people have signed the petition against patents on seeds.
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Breeders' Exemption on patent does not stop monopolization of food
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Burning patent issues - protest at the European Patent Office in Munich
On Tuesday the 20th of July patents and patent applications on sunflowers, melons, broccoli, cows and pigs went up in smoke as demonstrators outside the European Patent Office (EPO) in Munich used their truly innovative Patent Burner. Several hundred individuals and representatives of farmers organisations and NGO's from around the world gathered to protest against the EPO and against the patents the EPO are issuing on plants and animals. That day was the start of the hearing by the highest EPO Board of Appeal. Subject of the hearing are controversial patents on conventionally bred broccoli and wrinkled tomatoes.
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