Europe to ban all plants via the Plant Reproductive Material Law

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**Breotan**

... that are not approved by a special commission.

http://www.naturalnews.com/040214_seeds_European_Commission_registration.html

A new law proposed by the European Commission would make it illegal to "grow, reproduce or trade" any vegetable seeds that have not been "tested, approved and accepted" by a new EU bureaucracy named the "EU Plant Variety Agency."

**rubiksnoob**

How would they enforce this? Interpol raids on people's backyards to make sure their begonias are legal?

**SagesStone**

What's that your economy is in trouble? Perfect time for a new useless department to drain funds!

**Ahtman**

Excuse me ma'am, but are those snap peas in your pocket?

**Bullockist**

That's kind of a weird law, here in Oz there's a movement that's getting bigger (in gardening circles) called seed savers that's going directly against this EU law. Banning heirloom seeds IS a crime against humanity.
If I was a policeman in the EU and there were rioting gardeners in the city centre I'd be scared. I don't think a riot shield would stop a flying organic cabbage or worse yet a knobbly heirloom lemon.

**dæl**

This is a very bad misrepresentation of exactly what the legislation is.

Here is the press release covering it.
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/pressroom/animal-plant-health_en.htm

It's intent is the reduction of of legislation covering the food chain from 70 pieces to 5. Gardeners and microenterprises are also exempt from the legislation. And I don't see where it says anything about things being banned, only that they need be registered.

In order to facilitate adaptation to developments in plant breeding, and to possible new techniques, heterogeneous plant reproductive material, which does not fulfil the definition of a variety in the meaning of this Regulation, should be allowed to be produced or made available on the market, under certain conditions, without belonging to a registered variety, and even if it does not comply with the requirements concerning registration of varieties, namely distinctiveness, uniformity or stability, or
the requirements concerning the satisfactory value for cultivation or those concerning the sustainable value for cultivation. The registration of such material should take into
account its contribution to increase the genetic variability of agricultural crops, the genetic resource basis and biodiversity in the Union, as well as to the sustainability of
agriculture and thus to the adaptation to climate change. The methodology for the registration should particularly take into account those specific characteristics and it
should be based on the minimum possible burden for operators who wish to register such material. It would also be appropriate and proportionate to exempt from the same requirement rootstocks, as they have a significant commercial and practical value for the sectors where they are used, but they frequently do not fulfil the definition of a
variety.

**master of ordinance**

Meh so long as no-one attempts to hit my roses.
what? Im allowed to grow roses. I like them..........

**BryllCream**

Is this tiny piece of European legislation really worth its own thread?

What is this, The Sun?

**chromedog**

Bullockist wrote:
That's kind of a weird law, here in Oz there's a movement that's getting bigger (in gardening circles) called seed savers that's going directly against this EU law. Banning heirloom seeds IS a crime against humanity.
If I was a policeman in the EU and there were rioting gardeners in the city centre I'd be scared. I don't think a riot shield would stop a flying organic cabbage or worse yet a knobbly heirloom lemon.

Yep, SSN are one of the reasons you can still get certain edibles that still have any flavour in them.
My sister's part of the network.

Never mind the knobbly lemon. It's those damn spines on the tree that are the problem.
4" spines.

**Mr Hyena**

Only a hint to the growing inevitability of the rise of the next fascist regime...

**Frazzled**

rubiksnoob wrote:
How would they enforce this? Interpol raids on people's backyards to make sure their begonias are legal?

Storm troopers armed with HKs storm the front, while others rapel down from a a helicopter. FREEZ YOU HAVE VERBOTTEN SEEDS ZESE SEEDS VER NOT APPROVED! VER DID YOU GET ZEM CRIMINAL!!!

Nazi joke.
KNOCK KNOCK
Who's there?
VE ASK DE QUESTIONS HERE!

**dæl**

Mr Hyena wrote:
Only a hint to the growing inevitability of the rise of the next fascist regime...

Of course you could try reading the legislation and deciding what to think about it rationally. Or you could make up some hyperbolic nonsense without being in possession of any of the facts and run with it. Whatever keeps you warm at night.

**Steve steveson**

ARRRGG THE EUS IS EVIL...

Back in the real world, it has been the case for a long time that all commercial veriatys of seeds must be registered and approved, for a very good reason. If a farmer is spending £20K-£30K on seed at the start of the year he wants to know exactly what he is buying.

If your spending £1.95 on carrot seeds and they don't grow due to the soil being wrong, or come out as a chantenay carrot rather than standard carrot your not going to be ruined.

Infact I understand that the new law will make registration of new varieties easyer.

If you want a laugh read the comments. Apparently this EU law is part of a conspiracy between Obama and the UN...

**Bullockist**

damn that fake american is trying to communise EVERYTHING.

**BlapBlapBlap**

Mr Hyena wrote:
Only a hint to the growing inevitability of the rise of the next fascist regime...

You sir always give me cause to laugh. Not with you, though.

**kronk**

When seeds are outlawed, only outlaws will have radishes.

**rubiksnoob**

You can't beet the system, I suppose.

**kronk**

Lettuce stop with the puns!

**Grey Templar**

I concur, won't somebody think of the children!

**kronk**

My brother was going to go to Europe after a quick wedding, but his girl now says she cantaloupe.

**rubiksnoob**

This has the potential to really soil the reputation of European agriculture.

**Kain**

Breotan wrote:
... that are not approved by a special commission.

http://www.naturalnews.com/040214_seeds_European_Commission_registration.html

A new law proposed by the European Commission would make it illegal to "grow, reproduce or trade" any vegetable seeds that have not been "tested, approved and accepted" by a new EU bureaucracy named the "EU Plant Variety Agency."

I'm glad my motherland isn't part of the E.U, not until Russia is strong enough to guide Europe under her wing anyway.

**Grey Templar**

I wonder if weed will get banned

**BlapBlapBlap**

I am misleading and I find this confused.

**dæl**

Kain wrote:
Breotan wrote:
... that are not approved by a special commission.

http://www.naturalnews.com/040214_seeds_European_Commission_registration.html

A new law proposed by the European Commission would make it illegal to "grow, reproduce or trade" any vegetable seeds that have not been "tested, approved and accepted" by a new EU bureaucracy named the "EU Plant Variety Agency."

I'm glad my motherland isn't part of the E.U, not until Russia is strong enough to guide Europe under her wing anyway.

Russia isn't fit to govern itself, never mind anywhere else.

**Howard A Treesong**

The EU continue their fight against GM cro then, and potentially pull in the products of other breeding strategies. This is why research is falling behind the US and China, etc. Instead of allowing anti-GM scaremongering to set the agenda we really need to grasp these technologies and invest now to ensure our food security, or in a few years we'll be paying through the nose to cope with shortages.

**KalashnikovMarine**

I bet the Russian mob is going to start up a great seed trade into the EU now though.

"Pssst... hey... hey buddy, over here. Check this out my man, fresh off the truck from Moscow, heirloom butternut squash"

**azazel the cat**

When first they came for the lemons, I said nothing, because I do not have lemons...

No really, this is a ridiculous piece of I'm-not-getting-taller-the-sky-is-falling reporting. At first I wasn't sure if it was taken from The Onion or not.

**rubiksnoob**

Kain wrote:
Breotan wrote:
... that are not approved by a special commission.

http://www.naturalnews.com/040214_seeds_European_Commission_registration.html

A new law proposed by the European Commission would make it illegal to "grow, reproduce or trade" any vegetable seeds that have not been "tested, approved and accepted" by a new EU bureaucracy named the "EU Plant Variety Agency."

I'm glad my motherland isn't part of the E.U, not until Russia is strong enough to guide Europe under her wing anyway.

Please. . . really, I'm having trouble breathing. . . no more jokes like that until I regain control of my lungs.

**Grey Templar**

rubiksnoob wrote:
Kain wrote:
Breotan wrote:
... that are not approved by a special commission.

http://www.naturalnews.com/040214_seeds_European_Commission_registration.html

A new law proposed by the European Commission would make it illegal to "grow, reproduce or trade" any vegetable seeds that have not been "tested, approved and accepted" by a new EU bureaucracy named the "EU Plant Variety Agency."

I'm glad my motherland isn't part of the E.U, not until Russia is strong enough to guide Europe under her wing anyway.

Please. . . really, I'm having trouble breathing. . . no more jokes like that until I regain control of my lungs.

In Soviet Russia, joke crack you!