On Plant Patents, EPO President Backs Industry, Disregards EU Parliament, Group Says

A civil society coalition fighting patents on conventional plants in Europe has published a briefing paper alleging that the European Patent Office is giving a “green light” to patents on plants and animals, disregarding the position of the European Parliament.

The No Patents on Seeds  initiative, which includes organisations such as the Bern Declaration, the Development Fund, Greenpeace, Gene Watch, Misereor and Swissaid, claims that the European Patent Office is “rushing patents on plants derived from conventional breeding through the application procedure.”

“In the coming weeks, around a dozen new patents will be granted, covering species such as broccoli, onions, melons, lettuce and cucumber,” they say in their paper [pdf].

This follows, according to the paper, an orientation given by EPO President Benoit Battistelli, and would be detrimental to European breeders, farmers organisations and consumers.

In May 2012, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on the EPO to exclude from patenting products derived from conventional breeding and all conventional breeding methods (IPW, Briefs, 29 May 2013).

The No Patents on Seeds coalition is concerned, the paper says, “because, for example, Monsanto and Syngenta already own more than 50% of seed varieties of tomato, paprika and cauliflower registered in the EU,” and patents on seeds will encourage market concentration.

The coalition is calling for a legal revision of the European patent laws to exclude patents on plants and animals.