It is prohibited to patent nature. However, this is what the European Commission promises to generalize, proposing the suppression of the obligation to publish the processes of detection and identification of genetically modified plants by NTG, and therefore patented.
This obligation was introduced by the OMG 2001/18 Directive to allow farmers and consumers to be informed and that the OMG whose release reveals damage to health or the environment not identified in evaluations prior to their regulatory authorization to be removed from the market.
It also allowed the abusive extension of the scope of patents to peasant or traditional seeds. If this obligation is suppressed, farmers and traditional seed producers who use or market seeds that contain, naturally or as a result of pollution, a genetic sequence similar to a sequence patented by NTG will no longer have any means to oppose abusive patent violation procedures.
Within a few years, the patents of the five multinationals that already control more than 60% of the world seed market will control more than 90% at the expense of food security and sovereignty.
Instead of restoring the obligation to publish the detection and identification processes, Poland proposes very complex procedures that will authorize most OMGs obtained with NTG without traditional farmers and producers from identifying them in fields and sectors, or that the states prohibit their cultivation in their territory.
As well as the proposals previously made by Belgium, Many of these measures are also contrary to European legislation on competence, which allows trade restrictions only based on ethical, health or environmental issues and not intellectual property.
An authentic ‘madness’
More than 200 organizations attack a proposal to deregulate the new genetically modified organisms presented by Poland, which assumes the EU rotary presidency.
European countries must protect farmers, small and medium -sized seeds and the ecological and transgenic sectors of the threats that the deregulation of the new genetically modified organisms (OMG) supposes for their activity, warn more than 200 organizations.
In a joint statement published today, they attack against a Commitment proposal to deregulate the new OMG presented by Poland, which assumes the Rotation Presidency of the EU Counciland that the representatives of the national governments will meet to debate on February 14.
The Polish proposal covers both genetically modified crops (mg) and wild plants produced with the so -called “genetic editing techniques” (NTG), which can entail risks both for human health and the environment.
The draft focuses on plant patents, ignoring other critical issues such as traceability, detection and identification, coexistence or potential risks for human nature and health.
A deregulation that only benefits 5 large multinationals
Deregulation will increase the control that only a handful of companies has on the seeds, harming small and medium obtaining, which will reinforce their corporate domain over farmers.
The NGOs, together with farmers and small and medium obtaining, warn that Allowing the control of the seeds to fall into the hands of a few could weaken our food supply chain and would probably lead to lower diversity of seeds, which is essential for farmers to adapt to local agricultural conditions and climate change.
The joint declaration expresses its concern for the fact that the new OMG They are excluded from current community regulations, which requires OMGs to undergo labeling, security controls and detection methods. Consumers will not know what is really in their dishes and The business of small and medium seed improvers, farmers and the EU Non -transgenic sectors of the EU will be endangered.
The adoption of the proposal has precipitated without solving the numerous problems it creates. Leave the small and medium obtaining and destabilizes farmers out of the seed market in the food supply chain, just to prop up the large seedlings.
It is equally worrying for our health and the environment. The security controls of most new OMG are being eliminatedfreeing them without control in nature and in our food system, although they can have risks.
Since the European Commission presented in July 2023.
The Polish Presidency reactivated the stagnant proposal and published a commitment proposal in January 2025, despite the strong public opposition to the OMG in Poland. The commitment is based on a previous review presented by the Belgian Presidency in February 2024, which did not achieve consensus.
And now what?
Poland hopes to obtain the majority in the European Councilwhich would pave the way for the beginning of the negotiations with the European Parliament To approve the law.
Ecologist organizations ask EU governments to reject the new deregulation of OGM y They demand that “tOits the new OGM are still covered by an evaluation of the risks and methods of monitoring, identification and detection, as well as traceability and labeling throughout the food chain”.