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All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
Apologies if you have already seen this.
This was posted in a political group. I hope it can be of use to some. Best O ------------------------------------------------------------ Deadline for consultation on this important Seed Law is 4th December ! All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013 [] WHAT IS THIS NEW LAW? The European Commision is currently drawing up a new law to regulate the sale of all seeds, plants and plant material. The latest draft of the law is even more restrictive than the regulations that we have at the moment. Every single variety of vegetable will have to be registered on an EU list, otherwise it will be illegal to sell it. To be registered on the list, seed varieties have to pass a series of tests demonstrating what is called DUS 'Distinctiveness, Uniformity and Stability'. It costs nearly £3000 to test & register just one single variety of seed for sale. Although we have had a system like this for many years, there have been much simpler and cheaper options for what are considered 'amateur varieties' for home gardeners, and the rules have never been strictly enforced in the UK. The EU wants to get rid of these simpler and cheaper rules for 'amateur' seed, and make sure that every country enforces the rules 100%. Although they say there will be exceptions, in current drafts of the law these are very, very limited. WHY ARE THESE NEW LAWS A BAD THING? The effect of this new legislation will be to massively limit the choice of vegetable varieties available to home gardeners. This is because if you are selling seed to farmers, you can expect to sell hundreds of tonnes of seed every year, so it is worth the cost of registering the variety. But if you are selling to gardeners, even the biggest seed companies will be selling a few kilos of seed at most, sometimes just a few hundred grammes of more unusual varieties. It just doesn't work if they have to pay thousands of pounds to register that variety! So only seed designed for farmers will get registered and be legally sellable. Unfortunately, varieties suitable for farmers often aren't appropriate for home gardeners and allotment growers. For example: farmers usually want all of their produce to come ready at the same time, so that they can harvest and sell a whole fields worth. Home gardeners usually want their crops to mature over a longer period - we don't want to eat all our vegetables on one day! Another example: farmers generally don't want to grow climbing peas, as they need supports and can't be harvested mechanically. Lots of home gardeners prefer tall pea varieties, as they are more productive in a small space. There are hundreds of examples like this - the needs of gardeners and farmers are very different. The problem is very simple: If these new laws are passed, there will be fewer and fewer varieties developed for gardeners and small growers. Everybody will have to grow varieties that have been designed for commercial large-scale farming, whether they like it or not. BUT AREN'T THERE EXCEPTIONS & ALLOWANCES FOR HOME GARDENERS? We've discussed this at length with DEFRA. They have confirmed that the European Commission is trying its best to make sure thatall seed is covered by their legislation. There are a few exceptions to the new laws, but these are very, very limited. And the exceptions will only apply to non-commercial operations selling locally - for example individuals people selling a few packets of a local variety on a market stall. So seed companies - who are the only people with the experience and skills to develop what home growers need - will be very restricted in what they can offer to gardeners. Remember, even the big seed companies often only sell a few hundred packets of their more unusual and specialist varieties - and these simply are not economical to test and register, especially if there is an annual fee of several hundred pounds to keep them on the register! I THINK THIS IS A BAD THING - WHAT CAN I DO? Earlier in 2013, as the first draft of the law was being made, hundreds of thousands of people emailed and wrote to their MEPs and the EU, pushing for changes to this new law. The initial draft of the law was so badly drafted that it even outlawed seed swaps between individuals with no money taking place! The EU did concede some last minute changes which looked workable. BUT, they are now watering down nearly all of these concessions, or making them so restrictive as to be useless, as the law progresses through the system. The fact that they made changes to start with shows that pressure can work! We must fight for major improvements to the law as it goes through the EU, and then is translated into UK laws. So, if you think that this law is a bad idea, there are two things that you can do, right now! 1) WRITE TO THE 3 KEY MEPs ON THE EU COMMITTEE They a Sergio Silvestris, George Lyon, and Julie Girling PLEASE DO WRITE! It has a huge effect if you write, and don't be shy about it, they don't expect a masterpiece and are quite used to getting random informal letters from normal people. You can find their contact details and a suggested draft letter here The deadline for amendments is December the 4th, 2013, so if you can, write soon! Tell them that: You are worried by the new EU Seed Law You think gardeners should be able to choose any vegetables they wish to grow in their own gardens, rather than just from a list of 'EU-approved' varieties. You want to be able to buy seed suitable for gardeners, not seed for big scale agriculture, which is not the same. The new EU Seed Law should ONLY cover seed sold to farmers. The new EU Seed Law should NOT cover seed sold in small packets for home gardeners and allotment growers. Ask them: to change the draft law so that Home Garden seed and plants are not covered by it. 2) respond to the uk government consultation It just happens that the UK government have started a consultation asking people what things should be covered by EU laws, and what should be decided at national level, as there is concern that EU legislation may be interfering too much with some parts of our way of life. The consultation about agriculture is happening now. We are asking as many people as possible to respond, and say that garden plants and garden seeds should NOT be covered by EU regulation, but instead controlled by UK laws. You can find details of how to fill in the consultation here. Please do this! DEFRA - who regulate seeds in the UK - understand the problem completely, and have very sensible views on how the home garden seed industry should be regulated. If the law is brought back in to UK control, they will be given the task of drawing up sensible new UK laws & the problem will be sorted. 3) CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE We will post occasional updates on our Facebook Page as we get more information. EVEN MORE INFORMATION - and a warning The law itself is linked below if you want to wade through it. But before you start, a very important warning: You cannot just read the first 5 pages or so that are an 'executive summary', and think you know what this law is about. The executive summary is NOT what will become the law. It is the actual Articles themselves that become law, the Summary has no legal standing and is just tacked on as an aid to the public and legislators, it is supposed to give background information and set the proposed legislation in context so people know what is going on and why. The problem with this law has always been that the Summary says lots of nice fluffy things about preserving biodiversity, simplifying legislation, making things easier etc etc - things we all would love - but the Articles of the law don't really have the promised effects. And the Summary is not what becomes the law. So, be warned. By all means, read it yourself. But you have to pretty much ignore the Summary as that is not the Law, and does not reflect what is in the Law. The actual meat of it starts around about Page 25. Some of the more important articles are 2, 3, 14, and 36 but you do need to read all the rest as well to see how they fit together. Official version of the Law as of May 6th 2013 is Here Draft report from 28th October 2013 with proposed changes, removing and limiting the concessions is here NOTES TO EDITORS "Proposal for a Plant Reproductive Material Law" was released on May 6th 2013 Law drafted by DG SANCO (consumer affairs), apparently some debate by DG AGRI & ENVI (agriculture & environment) Executive Summary of Law does not truly reflect stricter reality of the actual articles in the law Law as currently proposed will effectively kill off professional development of home-garden seeds in the EU Huge public opposition: over 270,000 signatures to the Arche Noah petition Media contact: Ben Gabel, The Real Seed Catalogue: ABOUT THE REAL SEED CATALOGUE: The Real Seed Catalogue ( www.realseeds.co.uk ) is a well-known DEFRA-registered seed supplier, based in Wales, that specialises in breeding and supplying vegetable seed specially suited to the needs of home gardeners. As a not-for-profit company dedicated to the needs of home gardeners, it is also one of the UK's premier seed-saving organisations, educating the public about seed saving and how to preserve their own heritage varieties of vegetables at home. The Real Seed Catalogue is produced by The Real Seed Collection Ltd , a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. ~ Company No 5924934 ~ VAT No 841181938 ~ DEFRA -- http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/ |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
On 16/11/2013 15:10, Ophelia wrote:
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Reading your post, it seems the new law is a very bad thing for gardeners. Presumably the law is intended to be a benefit for somebody but who supposed to benefit from this draconian legislation? -- David in Normandy. |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
There are very interesting parallels between these proposals
and the EASA regulation of European Airways regulations. I have been keeping a watchful eye /on the sidelines/ on the progress of some aspects of the EASA regulations; people may or may not find the parallels illuminating. The EASA regulations were drafted by people that understood Commercial Air Transport (CAT i.e. airliners et al), but who have very little understanding of General Aviation (GA i.e. light aircraft, hot air balloons, gliders et al). The resulting heavyweight cumbersome regulations were fine for CAT, but disastrous for GA. It took a /lot/ of hard work by /many/ people knowledgable about GA over maybe 5 /years/ to mitigate /some/ of the worst effects of the regulations. Standing on the sidelines and moaning is useless. What succeeded was working within the system plus individuals making /formal/ comments when invited to do so. In this context "formal" means in the comment forms on the EU website. Be prepared to read the regulations and individually make comments; multiple identically worded comments are treated as a single comment. Nonetheless, the regulations are now enacted, and will be fully implemented in 2015. In the meantime various organisations are having to decide how they will interpret the regulations. In the past couple of weeks the government and CAA have announced they are trying to get rid of red tape; the latest statements about how the regs will be interpreted are specific and positive and useful. Having a private pilot (Grant Schapps) in the centre of government has apparently been useful. Summary: - the new regs will happen - there is a chance to shape them, but it requires long dedicated hard work by individuals - the new government attitude might help, particularly if you can get DEFRA onside On 16/11/13 14:10, Ophelia wrote: Apologies if you have already seen this. This was posted in a political group. I hope it can be of use to some. Best O ------------------------------------------------------------ Deadline for consultation on this important Seed Law is 4th December ! All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013 [] WHAT IS THIS NEW LAW? The European Commision is currently drawing up a new law to regulate the sale of all seeds, plants and plant material. The latest draft of the law is even more restrictive than the regulations that we have at the moment. Every single variety of vegetable will have to be registered on an EU list, otherwise it will be illegal to sell it. To be registered on the list, seed varieties have to pass a series of tests demonstrating what is called DUS 'Distinctiveness, Uniformity and Stability'. It costs nearly £3000 to test & register just one single variety of seed for sale. Although we have had a system like this for many years, there have been much simpler and cheaper options for what are considered 'amateur varieties' for home gardeners, and the rules have never been strictly enforced in the UK. The EU wants to get rid of these simpler and cheaper rules for 'amateur' seed, and make sure that every country enforces the rules 100%. Although they say there will be exceptions, in current drafts of the law these are very, very limited. WHY ARE THESE NEW LAWS A BAD THING? The effect of this new legislation will be to massively limit the choice of vegetable varieties available to home gardeners. This is because if you are selling seed to farmers, you can expect to sell hundreds of tonnes of seed every year, so it is worth the cost of registering the variety. But if you are selling to gardeners, even the biggest seed companies will be selling a few kilos of seed at most, sometimes just a few hundred grammes of more unusual varieties. It just doesn't work if they have to pay thousands of pounds to register that variety! So only seed designed for farmers will get registered and be legally sellable. Unfortunately, varieties suitable for farmers often aren't appropriate for home gardeners and allotment growers. For example: farmers usually want all of their produce to come ready at the same time, so that they can harvest and sell a whole fields worth. Home gardeners usually want their crops to mature over a longer period - we don't want to eat all our vegetables on one day! Another example: farmers generally don't want to grow climbing peas, as they need supports and can't be harvested mechanically. Lots of home gardeners prefer tall pea varieties, as they are more productive in a small space. There are hundreds of examples like this - the needs of gardeners and farmers are very different. The problem is very simple: If these new laws are passed, there will be fewer and fewer varieties developed for gardeners and small growers. Everybody will have to grow varieties that have been designed for commercial large-scale farming, whether they like it or not. BUT AREN'T THERE EXCEPTIONS & ALLOWANCES FOR HOME GARDENERS? We've discussed this at length with DEFRA. They have confirmed that the European Commission is trying its best to make sure thatall seed is covered by their legislation. There are a few exceptions to the new laws, but these are very, very limited. And the exceptions will only apply to non-commercial operations selling locally - for example individuals people selling a few packets of a local variety on a market stall. So seed companies - who are the only people with the experience and skills to develop what home growers need - will be very restricted in what they can offer to gardeners. Remember, even the big seed companies often only sell a few hundred packets of their more unusual and specialist varieties - and these simply are not economical to test and register, especially if there is an annual fee of several hundred pounds to keep them on the register! I THINK THIS IS A BAD THING - WHAT CAN I DO? Earlier in 2013, as the first draft of the law was being made, hundreds of thousands of people emailed and wrote to their MEPs and the EU, pushing for changes to this new law. The initial draft of the law was so badly drafted that it even outlawed seed swaps between individuals with no money taking place! The EU did concede some last minute changes which looked workable. BUT, they are now watering down nearly all of these concessions, or making them so restrictive as to be useless, as the law progresses through the system. The fact that they made changes to start with shows that pressure can work! We must fight for major improvements to the law as it goes through the EU, and then is translated into UK laws. So, if you think that this law is a bad idea, there are two things that you can do, right now! 1) WRITE TO THE 3 KEY MEPs ON THE EU COMMITTEE They a Sergio Silvestris, George Lyon, and Julie Girling PLEASE DO WRITE! It has a huge effect if you write, and don't be shy about it, they don't expect a masterpiece and are quite used to getting random informal letters from normal people. You can find their contact details and a suggested draft letter here The deadline for amendments is December the 4th, 2013, so if you can, write soon! Tell them that: You are worried by the new EU Seed Law You think gardeners should be able to choose any vegetables they wish to grow in their own gardens, rather than just from a list of 'EU-approved' varieties. You want to be able to buy seed suitable for gardeners, not seed for big scale agriculture, which is not the same. The new EU Seed Law should ONLY cover seed sold to farmers. The new EU Seed Law should NOT cover seed sold in small packets for home gardeners and allotment growers. Ask them: to change the draft law so that Home Garden seed and plants are not covered by it. 2) respond to the uk government consultation It just happens that the UK government have started a consultation asking people what things should be covered by EU laws, and what should be decided at national level, as there is concern that EU legislation may be interfering too much with some parts of our way of life. The consultation about agriculture is happening now. We are asking as many people as possible to respond, and say that garden plants and garden seeds should NOT be covered by EU regulation, but instead controlled by UK laws. You can find details of how to fill in the consultation here. Please do this! DEFRA - who regulate seeds in the UK - understand the problem completely, and have very sensible views on how the home garden seed industry should be regulated. If the law is brought back in to UK control, they will be given the task of drawing up sensible new UK laws & the problem will be sorted. 3) CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE We will post occasional updates on our Facebook Page as we get more information. EVEN MORE INFORMATION - and a warning The law itself is linked below if you want to wade through it. But before you start, a very important warning: You cannot just read the first 5 pages or so that are an 'executive summary', and think you know what this law is about. The executive summary is NOT what will become the law. It is the actual Articles themselves that become law, the Summary has no legal standing and is just tacked on as an aid to the public and legislators, it is supposed to give background information and set the proposed legislation in context so people know what is going on and why. The problem with this law has always been that the Summary says lots of nice fluffy things about preserving biodiversity, simplifying legislation, making things easier etc etc - things we all would love - but the Articles of the law don't really have the promised effects. And the Summary is not what becomes the law. So, be warned. By all means, read it yourself. But you have to pretty much ignore the Summary as that is not the Law, and does not reflect what is in the Law. The actual meat of it starts around about Page 25. Some of the more important articles are 2, 3, 14, and 36 but you do need to read all the rest as well to see how they fit together. Official version of the Law as of May 6th 2013 is Here Draft report from 28th October 2013 with proposed changes, removing and limiting the concessions is here NOTES TO EDITORS "Proposal for a Plant Reproductive Material Law" was released on May 6th 2013 Law drafted by DG SANCO (consumer affairs), apparently some debate by DG AGRI & ENVI (agriculture & environment) Executive Summary of Law does not truly reflect stricter reality of the actual articles in the law Law as currently proposed will effectively kill off professional development of home-garden seeds in the EU Huge public opposition: over 270,000 signatures to the Arche Noah petition Media contact: Ben Gabel, The Real Seed Catalogue: ABOUT THE REAL SEED CATALOGUE: The Real Seed Catalogue ( www.realseeds.co.uk ) is a well-known DEFRA-registered seed supplier, based in Wales, that specialises in breeding and supplying vegetable seed specially suited to the needs of home gardeners. As a not-for-profit company dedicated to the needs of home gardeners, it is also one of the UK's premier seed-saving organisations, educating the public about seed saving and how to preserve their own heritage varieties of vegetables at home. The Real Seed Catalogue is produced by The Real Seed Collection Ltd , a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. ~ Company No 5924934 ~ VAT No 841181938 ~ DEFRA |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
"David in Normandy" wrote
Ophelia wrote: All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Reading your post, it seems the new law is a very bad thing for gardeners. Presumably the law is intended to be a benefit for somebody but who supposed to benefit from this draconian legislation? "Although they say there will be exceptions, in current drafts of the law these are very, very limited." BUT the French will find a way round it or maybe just ignore it altogether like they do keeping cheese in a fridge in a restaurant. -- Regards. Bob Hobden. Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
"Chris Hogg" wrote in message ... On Sat, 16 Nov 2013 14:10:26 -0000, "Ophelia" wrote: Apologies if you have already seen this. This was posted in a political group. I hope it can be of use to some. Best O I've not plodded through it, but AIUI what you've posted is someone's view or interpretation of the proposed regulations. When it was discussed here before, it was pointed out (by Janet, I think), that there were exemptions for small, specialist seed-merchants and those who deal with heritage varieties. The actual paragraphs in the proposed regulations that were quoted here at the time seemed to bear that out. I didn't say I had any view. If you read what I said you will have seen I said I had taken it from a political group. -- http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/ |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
I did ask before I posted! I actually tried to send it to Sacha to evaluate
first but it bounced. I repeat, I did ask and was asked to post it which I did. However, it seems no good deed goes unpunished to it's back to lurking for me. "Ophelia" wrote in message ... "Chris Hogg" wrote in message ... On Sat, 16 Nov 2013 14:10:26 -0000, "Ophelia" wrote: Apologies if you have already seen this. This was posted in a political group. I hope it can be of use to some. Best O I've not plodded through it, but AIUI what you've posted is someone's view or interpretation of the proposed regulations. When it was discussed here before, it was pointed out (by Janet, I think), that there were exemptions for small, specialist seed-merchants and those who deal with heritage varieties. The actual paragraphs in the proposed regulations that were quoted here at the time seemed to bear that out. I didn't say I had any view. If you read what I said you will have seen I said I had taken it from a political group. -- http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/ -- http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/ |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
On 16/11/13 16:02, Bob Hobden wrote:
"David in Normandy" wrote Ophelia wrote: All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Reading your post, it seems the new law is a very bad thing for gardeners. Presumably the law is intended to be a benefit for somebody but who supposed to benefit from this draconian legislation? "Although they say there will be exceptions, in current drafts of the law these are very, very limited." BUT the French will find a way round it or maybe just ignore it altogether like they do keeping cheese in a fridge in a restaurant. I hope the French *don't* keep cheese in a fridge - it's the ruination of it. -- Rusty Hinge To err is human. To really foul things up requires a computer and the BOFH. |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
"Roger Tonkin" wrote in message ... In article , lid says... "Chris Hogg" wrote in message ... On Sat, 16 Nov 2013 14:10:26 -0000, "Ophelia" wrote: Apologies if you have already seen this. This was posted in a political group. I hope it can be of use to some. Best O I've not plodded through it, but AIUI what you've posted is someone's view or interpretation of the proposed regulations. When it was discussed here before, it was pointed out (by Janet, I think), that there were exemptions for small, specialist seed-merchants and those who deal with heritage varieties. The actual paragraphs in the proposed regulations that were quoted here at the time seemed to bear that out. I didn't say I had any view. If you read what I said you will have seen I said I had taken it from a political group. I dont think you were being criticised, as he said, it is "someone's view or interpretation". And of course being a political group, people have their own corner to fight, sometimes irrespective of the truth! Don't sulk and just lurk, keep on posting. Sulk? Moi??? Pah!! I don't know much about gardening you see so I don't have a lot to post about but I do enjoy reading the group. it wasn't my opinion I just thought it might be helpful and I did ask first :) *mutter* -- http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/ |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
"Chris Hogg" wrote in message ... On Sat, 16 Nov 2013 17:47:12 -0000, "Ophelia" wrote: "Chris Hogg" wrote in message . .. On Sat, 16 Nov 2013 14:10:26 -0000, "Ophelia" wrote: Apologies if you have already seen this. This was posted in a political group. I hope it can be of use to some. Best O I've not plodded through it, but AIUI what you've posted is someone's view or interpretation of the proposed regulations. When it was discussed here before, it was pointed out (by Janet, I think), that there were exemptions for small, specialist seed-merchants and those who deal with heritage varieties. The actual paragraphs in the proposed regulations that were quoted here at the time seemed to bear that out. I didn't say I had any view. If you read what I said you will have seen I said I had taken it from a political group. You misunderstand me. I realised it was taken from another group. What I said was 'what you've posted is someone's view'. I didn't say it was _your_ view, nor did I think that. I wanted to point out that it was an opinion, to distinguish it from a specific quote from the actual document detailing the proposed regulations. I'm sorry if you misunderstood. Ok, but you did say you hadn't read it so ... why dismiss it? -- http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/ |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
On 16/11/2013 18:58, RustyHinge wrote:
On 16/11/13 16:02, Bob Hobden wrote: "David in Normandy" wrote Ophelia wrote: All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Reading your post, it seems the new law is a very bad thing for gardeners. Presumably the law is intended to be a benefit for somebody but who supposed to benefit from this draconian legislation? "Although they say there will be exceptions, in current drafts of the law these are very, very limited." BUT the French will find a way round it or maybe just ignore it altogether like they do keeping cheese in a fridge in a restaurant. I hope the French *don't* keep cheese in a fridge - it's the ruination of it. It's never harmed my fridge |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
"David Hill" wrote in message ... On 16/11/2013 18:58, RustyHinge wrote: On 16/11/13 16:02, Bob Hobden wrote: "David in Normandy" wrote Ophelia wrote: All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Reading your post, it seems the new law is a very bad thing for gardeners. Presumably the law is intended to be a benefit for somebody but who supposed to benefit from this draconian legislation? "Although they say there will be exceptions, in current drafts of the law these are very, very limited." BUT the French will find a way round it or maybe just ignore it altogether like they do keeping cheese in a fridge in a restaurant. I hope the French *don't* keep cheese in a fridge - it's the ruination of it. It's never harmed my fridge lol -- http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/ |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
On 16/11/2013 17:47, Ophelia wrote:
"Chris Hogg" wrote in message ... On Sat, 16 Nov 2013 14:10:26 -0000, "Ophelia" wrote: Apologies if you have already seen this. This was posted in a political group. I hope it can be of use to some. Best O I've not plodded through it, but AIUI what you've posted is someone's view or interpretation of the proposed regulations. When it was discussed here before, it was pointed out (by Janet, I think), that there were exemptions for small, specialist seed-merchants and those who deal with heritage varieties. The actual paragraphs in the proposed regulations that were quoted here at the time seemed to bear that out. I didn't say I had any view. If you read what I said you will have seen I said I had taken it from a political group. I wonder who took it from whom? The Real Seed Catalogue has what I think is the original esp as Ben Gabel runs The Real Seed Catalogue and is the press contact for the campaign against the proposed new law. |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
On Sat, 16 Nov 2013 14:10:26 -0000, "Ophelia"
wrote: Apologies if you have already seen this. This was posted in a political group. I hope it can be of use to some. Best O ------------------------------------------------------------ If this was as serious as the quoted opinion makes out, where are the strident complaints from the seed merchants - the Thompson & Morgans of the UK and across Europe? It would cost them a fortune to register every one of their varieties. If they are not worried, should we be? |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
"Fuschia" wrote in message ... On Sat, 16 Nov 2013 14:10:26 -0000, "Ophelia" wrote: Apologies if you have already seen this. This was posted in a political group. I hope it can be of use to some. Best O ------------------------------------------------------------ If this was as serious as the quoted opinion makes out, where are the strident complaints from the seed merchants - the Thompson & Morgans of the UK and across Europe? It would cost them a fortune to register every one of their varieties. If they are not worried, should we be? Good point. You would expect to hear something from them if it were the case. Have they not been heard to make any comment at all? -- http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/ |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
"David Hill" wrote in message ... On 16/11/2013 17:47, Ophelia wrote: "Chris Hogg" wrote in message ... On Sat, 16 Nov 2013 14:10:26 -0000, "Ophelia" wrote: Apologies if you have already seen this. This was posted in a political group. I hope it can be of use to some. Best O I've not plodded through it, but AIUI what you've posted is someone's view or interpretation of the proposed regulations. When it was discussed here before, it was pointed out (by Janet, I think), that there were exemptions for small, specialist seed-merchants and those who deal with heritage varieties. The actual paragraphs in the proposed regulations that were quoted here at the time seemed to bear that out. I didn't say I had any view. If you read what I said you will have seen I said I had taken it from a political group. I wonder who took it from whom? The Real Seed Catalogue has what I think is the original esp as Ben Gabel runs The Real Seed Catalogue and is the press contact for the campaign against the proposed new law. I wonder if he is a member of that group. Can't say I've ever seen him actually posting. I assumed it had come from someone with links to gardening/farming though. -- http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/ |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
On Sat, 16 Nov 2013 21:39:54 -0000, "Ophelia"
wrote: "Fuschia" wrote in message .. . On Sat, 16 Nov 2013 14:10:26 -0000, "Ophelia" wrote: Apologies if you have already seen this. This was posted in a political group. I hope it can be of use to some. Best O ------------------------------------------------------------ If this was as serious as the quoted opinion makes out, where are the strident complaints from the seed merchants - the Thompson & Morgans of the UK and across Europe? It would cost them a fortune to register every one of their varieties. If they are not worried, should we be? Good point. You would expect to hear something from them if it were the case. Have they not been heard to make any comment at all? I've heard nothing at all and that makes me suspicious. I wonder if this is just another of those imaginary EU 'straight banana' stories? |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
On 16/11/2013 21:40, Ophelia wrote:
"David Hill" wrote in message ... On 16/11/2013 17:47, Ophelia wrote: "Chris Hogg" wrote in message ... On Sat, 16 Nov 2013 14:10:26 -0000, "Ophelia" wrote: Apologies if you have already seen this. This was posted in a political group. I hope it can be of use to some. Best O I've not plodded through it, but AIUI what you've posted is someone's view or interpretation of the proposed regulations. When it was discussed here before, it was pointed out (by Janet, I think), that there were exemptions for small, specialist seed-merchants and those who deal with heritage varieties. The actual paragraphs in the proposed regulations that were quoted here at the time seemed to bear that out. I didn't say I had any view. If you read what I said you will have seen I said I had taken it from a political group. I wonder who took it from whom? The Real Seed Catalogue has what I think is the original esp as Ben Gabel runs The Real Seed Catalogue and is the press contact for the campaign against the proposed new law. I wonder if he is a member of that group. Can't say I've ever seen him actually posting. I assumed it had come from someone with links to gardening/farming though. could be from anyone who has bought from The Real Seed Company |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
"David Hill" wrote in message ... On 16/11/2013 21:40, Ophelia wrote: "David Hill" wrote in message ... On 16/11/2013 17:47, Ophelia wrote: "Chris Hogg" wrote in message ... On Sat, 16 Nov 2013 14:10:26 -0000, "Ophelia" wrote: Apologies if you have already seen this. This was posted in a political group. I hope it can be of use to some. Best O I've not plodded through it, but AIUI what you've posted is someone's view or interpretation of the proposed regulations. When it was discussed here before, it was pointed out (by Janet, I think), that there were exemptions for small, specialist seed-merchants and those who deal with heritage varieties. The actual paragraphs in the proposed regulations that were quoted here at the time seemed to bear that out. I didn't say I had any view. If you read what I said you will have seen I said I had taken it from a political group. I wonder who took it from whom? The Real Seed Catalogue has what I think is the original esp as Ben Gabel runs The Real Seed Catalogue and is the press contact for the campaign against the proposed new law. I wonder if he is a member of that group. Can't say I've ever seen him actually posting. I assumed it had come from someone with links to gardening/farming though. could be from anyone who has bought from The Real Seed Company True enough. -- http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/ |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
"Fuschia" wrote in message ... On Sat, 16 Nov 2013 21:39:54 -0000, "Ophelia" wrote: "Fuschia" wrote in message . .. On Sat, 16 Nov 2013 14:10:26 -0000, "Ophelia" wrote: Apologies if you have already seen this. This was posted in a political group. I hope it can be of use to some. Best O ------------------------------------------------------------ If this was as serious as the quoted opinion makes out, where are the strident complaints from the seed merchants - the Thompson & Morgans of the UK and across Europe? It would cost them a fortune to register every one of their varieties. If they are not worried, should we be? Good point. You would expect to hear something from them if it were the case. Have they not been heard to make any comment at all? I've heard nothing at all and that makes me suspicious. I wonder if this is just another of those imaginary EU 'straight banana' stories? Who knows:) I certainly don't:)) -- http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/ |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
On Saturday, November 16, 2013 2:23:11 PM UTC, David in Normandy wrote:
Reading your post, it seems the new law is a very bad thing for gardeners. Presumably the law is intended to be a benefit for somebody but who supposed to benefit from this draconian legislation? Large corporations. The EU and all other large legislative bodies are in the pay of corporations (plutocracy) and eveything is done for their benefit. But it will always be advertised as being for our benefit, in this case, they'll probably say it is for health benefit and keeping us from accidently eating bad plants. |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
On 17/11/2013 09:44, Road_Hog wrote:
On Saturday, November 16, 2013 2:23:11 PM UTC, David in Normandy wrote: Reading your post, it seems the new law is a very bad thing for gardeners. Presumably the law is intended to be a benefit for somebody but who supposed to benefit from this draconian legislation? Large corporations. The EU and all other large legislative bodies are in the pay of corporations (plutocracy) and eveything is done for their benefit. But it will always be advertised as being for our benefit, in this case, they'll probably say it is for health benefit and keeping us from accidently eating bad plants. It does seem like one of those ridiculous laws that will benefit almost nobody. Thinking about it, I can't even see the large corporations gaining from this as it will mean they will have to abandon seeds / plants with low sales volumes and restrict their sales to large volume sales e.g. those to farmers. Can't see how anybody will benefit to be honest, except the bureaucrats and labs that will do the testing. It sounds like the sort of insane bureaucracy that only French politicians could dream up - laws for the sake of laws to make more artificial jobs for bureaucrats. Well I will continue saving seeds from one year to the next and continue to swap seeds and cuttings with friends and neighbours. I can see this hurting small nurseries, garden centres and small seed and plant producers but gardeners will continue sourcing seeds and plants from each other as always. Though I guess organised seed swaps (at meet-ups or online) may become illegal? Gardeners will be hanging around street corners wearing dark glasses and raincoats stopping passers-by "Psst! Do you want some illegal runner bean seeds." -- David in Normandy. |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
"David in Normandy" wrote in message ... On 17/11/2013 09:44, Road_Hog wrote: On Saturday, November 16, 2013 2:23:11 PM UTC, David in Normandy wrote: Reading your post, it seems the new law is a very bad thing for gardeners. Presumably the law is intended to be a benefit for somebody but who supposed to benefit from this draconian legislation? Large corporations. The EU and all other large legislative bodies are in the pay of corporations (plutocracy) and eveything is done for their benefit. But it will always be advertised as being for our benefit, in this case, they'll probably say it is for health benefit and keeping us from accidently eating bad plants. It does seem like one of those ridiculous laws that will benefit almost nobody. Thinking about it, I can't even see the large corporations gaining from this as it will mean they will have to abandon seeds / plants with low sales volumes and restrict their sales to large volume sales e.g. those to farmers. Can't see how anybody will benefit to be honest, except the bureaucrats and labs that will do the testing. It sounds like the sort of insane bureaucracy that only French politicians could dream up - laws for the sake of laws to make more artificial jobs for bureaucrats. Well I will continue saving seeds from one year to the next and continue to swap seeds and cuttings with friends and neighbours. I can see this hurting small nurseries, garden centres and small seed and plant producers but gardeners will continue sourcing seeds and plants from each other as always. Though I guess organised seed swaps (at meet-ups or online) may become illegal? Gardeners will be hanging around street corners wearing dark glasses and raincoats stopping passers-by "Psst! Do you want some illegal runner bean seeds." lol ... what a prospect!!! -- http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/ |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
On 17/11/2013 12:43, Martin wrote:
On Sat, 16 Nov 2013 15:23:11 +0100, David in Normandy wrote: On 16/11/2013 15:10, Ophelia wrote: All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Reading your post, it seems the new law is a very bad thing for gardeners. Presumably the law is intended to be a benefit for somebody but who supposed to benefit from this draconian legislation? People who buy seeds. How? It is so draconian it throws the baby out with the bath water. -- David in Normandy. |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
In article ,
Martin wrote: Read the draft regulation and one can recognise it as another straight banana myth. It's not obvious to me why the UK press specialises in creating EU myths. It doesn't happen elsewhere in the EU AFAIK It is to me :-( Yes, Minister etc. was the acceptable face of the mandarins. As a group, their primary skill is ensuring that some innocent party gets the blame for their malice, negligence, incompetence and even what is arguably treason. Their SOP is to take a reasonable directive, 'gold plate' it for their own reasons and ensure that the EU gets the blame for its extremism. But what REALLY ****es off the Eurocrats is when the British representatives demand that something is included or omitted, despite the fact that everyone else disagrees, threatening a veto if they don't get their way - and THEN say that they tried their best to avoid that but the evil Eurocrats insisted. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
On 17/11/13 13:27, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article , Martin wrote: Read the draft regulation and one can recognise it as another straight banana myth. It's not obvious to me why the UK press specialises in creating EU myths. It doesn't happen elsewhere in the EU AFAIK It is to me :-( Yes, Minister etc. was the acceptable face of the mandarins. As a group, their primary skill is ensuring that some innocent party gets the blame for their malice, negligence, incompetence and even what is arguably treason. Government by civil servants has been replaced by government by SpAds (special advisors). If you believe the rhetoric about the efficiency of the free market etc, then the corollary is that SpAds are very good at pushing their (financial) backers' interests. I find it difficult to distinguish SpAds from the Tolkien character Wormtongue. Choose your poison :( Their SOP is to take a reasonable directive, 'gold plate' it for their own reasons and ensure that the EU gets the blame for its extremism. There's some truth in that, but it isn't universal. In particular the CAA has been pleasantly effective at pushing back against the new EASA regulations. But what REALLY ****es off the Eurocrats is when the British representatives demand that something is included or omitted, despite the fact that everyone else disagrees, threatening a veto if they don't get their way - and THEN say that they tried their best to avoid that but the evil Eurocrats insisted. |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
On 2013-11-16 21:39:54 +0000, Ophelia said:
"Fuschia" wrote in message ... On Sat, 16 Nov 2013 14:10:26 -0000, "Ophelia" wrote: Apologies if you have already seen this. This was posted in a political group. I hope it can be of use to some. Best O ------------------------------------------------------------ If this was as serious as the quoted opinion makes out, where are the strident complaints from the seed merchants - the Thompson & Morgans of the UK and across Europe? It would cost them a fortune to register every one of their varieties. If they are not worried, should we be? Good point. You would expect to hear something from them if it were the case. Have they not been heard to make any comment at all? We get our seeds from Jelitto, which is a German company. I'll ask Ray if he knows of any particular worries that they have. And email to will either come to me or get forwarded to me by someone. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon www.helpforheroes.org.uk |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
"Sacha" wrote in message ... On 2013-11-16 21:39:54 +0000, Ophelia said: "Fuschia" wrote in message ... On Sat, 16 Nov 2013 14:10:26 -0000, "Ophelia" wrote: Apologies if you have already seen this. This was posted in a political group. I hope it can be of use to some. Best O ------------------------------------------------------------ If this was as serious as the quoted opinion makes out, where are the strident complaints from the seed merchants - the Thompson & Morgans of the UK and across Europe? It would cost them a fortune to register every one of their varieties. If they are not worried, should we be? Good point. You would expect to hear something from them if it were the case. Have they not been heard to make any comment at all? We get our seeds from Jelitto, which is a German company. I'll ask Ray if he knows of any particular worries that they have. And email to will either come to me or get forwarded to me by someone. Oh it's ok. I just wanted you to look over this stuff to see if it was suitable for posting he) All done now:) -- http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/ |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
Martin wrote:
It's not obvious to me why the UK press specialises in creating EU myths. It doesn't happen elsewhere in the EU AFAIK Unfortunately - since I am a firm, even fanatical, believer in the EU - anti-EU feeling is at least as strong in France (le Pen), Italy (Beppe Grillo and now Berlusconi), Spain and many other EU members. The EU has lost the trust of its citizens, and a political organisation cannot continue in that state for long. In my view radical reform is essential if the EU is to survive, starting with election of the EU Commission, and in particular its president. The US would not have survived if its president had been chosen in the way the EU president is. The majority of senior bureaucrats in Brussels have lost faith in the project, and are simply pushing paper until they retire. Simply supporting the EU, without demanding its reform, is in my view counter-productive. -- Timothy Murphy e-mail: gayleard /at/ eircom.net School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
On 17/11/2013 15:54, Sacha wrote:
On 2013-11-16 21:39:54 +0000, Ophelia said: "Fuschia" wrote in message ... On Sat, 16 Nov 2013 14:10:26 -0000, "Ophelia" wrote: Apologies if you have already seen this. This was posted in a political group. I hope it can be of use to some. Best O ------------------------------------------------------------ If this was as serious as the quoted opinion makes out, where are the strident complaints from the seed merchants - the Thompson & Morgans of the UK and across Europe? It would cost them a fortune to register every one of their varieties. If they are not worried, should we be? Good point. You would expect to hear something from them if it were the case. Have they not been heard to make any comment at all? We get our seeds from Jelitto, which is a German company. I'll ask Ray if he knows of any particular worries that they have. And email to will either come to me or get forwarded to me by someone. I'd have thought that the RHS would have had something to say about it. |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
On 17/11/2013 16:04, David Hill wrote:
On 17/11/2013 15:54, Sacha wrote: On 2013-11-16 21:39:54 +0000, Ophelia said: "Fuschia" wrote in message ... On Sat, 16 Nov 2013 14:10:26 -0000, "Ophelia" wrote: Apologies if you have already seen this. This was posted in a political group. I hope it can be of use to some. Best O ------------------------------------------------------------ If this was as serious as the quoted opinion makes out, where are the strident complaints from the seed merchants - the Thompson & Morgans of the UK and across Europe? It would cost them a fortune to register every one of their varieties. If they are not worried, should we be? Good point. You would expect to hear something from them if it were the case. Have they not been heard to make any comment at all? We get our seeds from Jelitto, which is a German company. I'll ask Ray if he knows of any particular worries that they have. And email to will either come to me or get forwarded to me by someone. I'd have thought that the RHS would have had something to say about it. It was mentioned in the last issue of The Garden. Unfortunately it didn't look like informed commentary. -- Stewart Robert Hinsley |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
On 2013-11-17 09:09:59 +0000, David in Normandy said:
On 17/11/2013 09:44, Road_Hog wrote: On Saturday, November 16, 2013 2:23:11 PM UTC, David in Normandy wrote: Reading your post, it seems the new law is a very bad thing for gardeners. Presumably the law is intended to be a benefit for somebody but who supposed to benefit from this draconian legislation? Large corporations. The EU and all other large legislative bodies are in the pay of corporations (plutocracy) and eveything is done for their benefit. But it will always be advertised as being for our benefit, in this case, they'll probably say it is for health benefit and keeping us from accidently eating bad plants. It does seem like one of those ridiculous laws that will benefit almost nobody. Thinking about it, I can't even see the large corporations gaining from this as it will mean they will have to abandon seeds / plants with low sales volumes and restrict their sales to large volume sales e.g. those to farmers. Can't see how anybody will benefit to be honest, except the bureaucrats and labs that will do the testing. It sounds like the sort of insane bureaucracy that only French politicians could dream up - laws for the sake of laws to make more artificial jobs for bureaucrats. Well I will continue saving seeds from one year to the next and continue to swap seeds and cuttings with friends and neighbours. I can see this hurting small nurseries, garden centres and small seed and plant producers but gardeners will continue sourcing seeds and plants from each other as always. Though I guess organised seed swaps (at meet-ups or online) may become illegal? Gardeners will be hanging around street corners wearing dark glasses and raincoats stopping passers-by "Psst! Do you want some illegal runner bean seeds." Love this! Parsnip pushers! ;-) -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
On 2013-11-17 16:37:48 +0000, Stewart Robert Hinsley said:
On 17/11/2013 16:04, David Hill wrote: On 17/11/2013 15:54, Sacha wrote: On 2013-11-16 21:39:54 +0000, Ophelia said: "Fuschia" wrote in message ... On Sat, 16 Nov 2013 14:10:26 -0000, "Ophelia" wrote: Apologies if you have already seen this. This was posted in a political group. I hope it can be of use to some. Best O ------------------------------------------------------------ If this was as serious as the quoted opinion makes out, where are the strident complaints from the seed merchants - the Thompson & Morgans of the UK and across Europe? It would cost them a fortune to register every one of their varieties. If they are not worried, should we be? Good point. You would expect to hear something from them if it were the case. Have they not been heard to make any comment at all? We get our seeds from Jelitto, which is a German company. I'll ask Ray if he knows of any particular worries that they have. And email to will either come to me or get forwarded to me by someone. I'd have thought that the RHS would have had something to say about it. It was mentioned in the last issue of The Garden. Unfortunately it didn't look like informed commentary. Do you mean the piece by Lia Leendertz? Not sure if that was the last issue. But I did think that it gave a good perspective from the amateur gardener's pov. No? There was an editorial on it too. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
"Timothy Murphy" wrote in message ... Unfortunately - since I am a firm, even fanatical, believer in the EU - anti-EU feeling is at least as strong in France (le Pen), Italy (Beppe Grillo and now Berlusconi), Spain and many other EU members. The EU has lost the trust of its citizens, and a political organisation cannot continue in that state for long. In my view radical reform is essential if the EU is to survive, starting with election of the EU Commission, and in particular its president. The US would not have survived if its president had been chosen in the way the EU president is. The majority of senior bureaucrats in Brussels have lost faith in the project, and are simply pushing paper until they retire. Simply supporting the EU, without demanding its reform, is in my view counter-productive. May I copy this to another place please? Of course I would remove your name and any identity. -- http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/ |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
I'd have thought that the RHS would have had something to say about it. It was mentioned in the last issue of The Garden. Unfortunately it didn't look like informed commentary. Do you mean the piece by Lia Leendertz? Not sure if that was the last issue. But I did think that it gave a good perspective from the amateur gardener's pov. No? There was an editorial on it too. This item is a good overview of the thing http://www.hortweek.com/news/1211444...ding-industry/ |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
On 17/11/2013 20:49, Ophelia wrote:
"Timothy Murphy" wrote in message ... Unfortunately - since I am a firm, even fanatical, believer in the EU - anti-EU feeling is at least as strong in France (le Pen), Italy (Beppe Grillo and now Berlusconi), Spain and many other EU members. The EU has lost the trust of its citizens, and a political organisation cannot continue in that state for long. In my view radical reform is essential if the EU is to survive, starting with election of the EU Commission, and in particular its president. The US would not have survived if its president had been chosen in the way the EU president is. The majority of senior bureaucrats in Brussels have lost faith in the project, and are simply pushing paper until they retire. Simply supporting the EU, without demanding its reform, is in my view counter-productive. May I copy this to another place please? Of course I would remove your name and any identity. If you mean the whole piece about the proposals then it can be found in full at http://www.realseeds.co.uk/seedlaw.html Which looks as if it's where it started David |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
In article ,
Timothy Murphy wrote: Martin wrote: It's not obvious to me why the UK press specialises in creating EU myths. It doesn't happen elsewhere in the EU AFAIK Unfortunately - since I am a firm, even fanatical, believer in the EU - anti-EU feeling is at least as strong in France (le Pen), Italy (Beppe Grillo and now Berlusconi), Spain and many other EU members. The EU has lost the trust of its citizens, and a political organisation cannot continue in that state for long. In my view radical reform is essential if the EU is to survive, starting with election of the EU Commission, and in particular its president. The US would not have survived if its president had been chosen in the way the EU president is. The majority of senior bureaucrats in Brussels have lost faith in the project, and are simply pushing paper until they retire. Simply supporting the EU, without demanding its reform, is in my view counter-productive. Unfortunately, the same is true (only more strongly) about our so-called democratic institutions. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
On 2013-11-17 21:40:43 +0000, Martin said:
On Sun, 17 Nov 2013 18:53:21 +0000, sacha wrote: On 2013-11-17 09:09:59 +0000, David in Normandy said: On 17/11/2013 09:44, Road_Hog wrote: On Saturday, November 16, 2013 2:23:11 PM UTC, David in Normandy wrote: Reading your post, it seems the new law is a very bad thing for gardeners. Presumably the law is intended to be a benefit for somebody but who supposed to benefit from this draconian legislation? Large corporations. The EU and all other large legislative bodies are in the pay of corporations (plutocracy) and eveything is done for their benefit. But it will always be advertised as being for our benefit, in this case, they'll probably say it is for health benefit and keeping us from accidently eating bad plants. It does seem like one of those ridiculous laws that will benefit almost nobody. Thinking about it, I can't even see the large corporations gaining from this as it will mean they will have to abandon seeds / plants with low sales volumes and restrict their sales to large volume sales e.g. those to farmers. Can't see how anybody will benefit to be honest, except the bureaucrats and labs that will do the testing. It sounds like the sort of insane bureaucracy that only French politicians could dream up - laws for the sake of laws to make more artificial jobs for bureaucrats. Well I will continue saving seeds from one year to the next and continue to swap seeds and cuttings with friends and neighbours. I can see this hurting small nurseries, garden centres and small seed and plant producers but gardeners will continue sourcing seeds and plants from each other as always. Though I guess organised seed swaps (at meet-ups or online) may become illegal? Gardeners will be hanging around street corners wearing dark glasses and raincoats stopping passers-by "Psst! Do you want some illegal runner bean seeds." Love this! Parsnip pushers! ;-) They will wear a red carnation and carry a folded copy of the Daily Mail. The Daily Mail?! How very dare you! Amateur Gardening, surely?! -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon www.helpforheroes.org.uk |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
On Sun, 17 Nov 2013 22:34:06 +0100, Martin wrote:
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Reading your post, it seems the new law is a very bad thing for gardeners. Presumably the law is intended to be a benefit for somebody but who supposed to benefit from this draconian legislation? People who buy seeds. How? It is so draconian it throws the baby out with the bath water. Read the draft regulation and ignore the works of rent-a-rumour posts. There have been discussions about this proposed PRM legislation in April, May and September this year (see 'more EC tomfoolery' 25 April and 'have you heard about this' 12 May and 'blog mentioning possible EU plant regs' 17 September). At the time of the April thread I checked the draft legislation and gave a brief summary on 26 April which indicated that the main purpose of the new reg was to pull the many existing Council Directives (12 from memory) concerning plant reproductive material together under one piece of legislation and that the impact on gardeners was likely to be minimal as the controls, concerning a fairly limited list of seed species, were directed at commercial enterprises. From a quick look it appears that the legislation has not yet been agreed but the current proposal summary includes the following text which supports the above - 'The complexity and fragmentation of the existing legislation is likely to perpetuate existing uncertainties and discrepancies in its implementation between the Member States. This creates an uneven playing field for professional operators on the single market. Developments in the areas of agriculture, horticulture, forestry, plant breeding and making available on the market of plant reproductive material have shown that the legislation needs to be simplified and further adapted to the developments of the sector by replacing the existing Directives by a single Regulation.' It goes on to cover the need to improve 'The traceability of any plant reproductive material' which is in line with the introduction of farm to retail traceability of many foodstuffs during the last few years. For anyone who is really interested a short European Parliament summary is at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/p...64628&t=e&l=en -- rbel |
All ABOUT THE New EU Seed Law Updated November 2013
Gardeners will be hanging around street corners wearing dark glasses
and raincoats stopping passers-by "Psst! Do you want some illegal runner bean seeds." Love this! Parsnip pushers! ;-) They will wear a red carnation and carry a folded copy of the Daily Mail. The Daily Mail?! How very dare you! Amateur Gardening, surely?! Not to mention the Pea do files and the Has beans |
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