LiveSeeding partners discuss project activities on organic seeds & breeding
From 17-20 September, the LiveSeeding project discussed organic heterogenous materials and variety development and business models.
Planning and in-depth discussions
During its third general project meeting in Novara, Italy partners planned the project’s third year, bolstered team spirit among partners, and cultivated synergies for a strong project impact.
The meeting opened with a welcome and an overview of the annual objectives, followed by reflections on year two’s successes, particularly in on-farm screenings, Organic Heterogeneous Material (OHM) and Organic Variety (OV) development, and case studies and workshops. A cross-cutting session explored complexities around OHM and OVs, including notification, traceability, and breeding guidelines, alongside discussions on training activities and a seed production manual.
EU policy updates
The final day focused on fostering entrepreneurship, business models, marketing, food policies and organic breeding benefits, as well as EU policy developments. Mr. Flevaris from Directorate-general for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE), Plant Health Unit, presented the revision of the legislation on the production and marketing of Plant Reproductive Material (PRM) in the EU. Derogations, variety registrations and other issues were discussed and concerns from the consortium were shared.
In June 2024, a progress report on the file was presented at the Council of EU Agriculture Ministers, under the Belgium Presidency. Particular emphasis should be paid to the safeguarding of Organic Heterogenous Materials (OHM), and on the importance of not making stricter rules for VCU testing for variety registration. Additional elements, such as a very limited scope exemptions for conservation & farmers’ exchange and number of regulated species are identified as worrying. This progress report only covers part of the Commission’s proposal, meaning that not all articles in the proposal have been discussed yet by the Council of the EU. This process is still ongoing and will likely continue for a while, within the AGRIFISH Council and the Working Party on Genetic Resources & Innovation. Only until the Council of the EU reaches a ‘General Approach’, trilogue negotiations are expected to commence.
About LiveSeeding
The LiveSeeding project is a four-year Innovation Action on organic seed and plant breeding to accelerate sustainable and diverse food systems in Europe, which started in October 2022 and will run until September 2026. It provides science-based evidence and best practice solutions to help achieve 100 % organic seed. To deliver on its ambitious goal, LiveSeeding brings together 37 organisations from a wide range of sectors operating in 16 European countries and can build on the knowledge developed in the LIVESEED project (2017-2021).
The project has a budget of €6.6 million, funded by the European Union, the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). FiBL Europe coordinates this Horizon Europe-funded project and its 37 partners. IFOAM Organics Europe is responsible for stakeholder management.
Learn more about and follow the project on www.liveseeding.eu, LinkedIn, X and Facebook.
