EU Seed Laws – an absurdity in any guise

The European Union is considering new laws governing what seeds can and cannot be distributed throughout its member states. The current EU laws are already draconian with EU wide lists of allowed seed. It is only from these approved lists that farmers may select what they grow for market. It will surprise no-one that large seed companies are called in to consult on the formulation of such laws.
The new laws appear to be a strengthening of existing legislation and removes some of the enforcement from democratic process. In effect, it will be illegal to distribute, in any way, any seed that is not on the central list. An absurd feature of the EU laws is that the lawmakers claim that the legislation protects biodiversity. Perhaps I’m naïve but it seems to me that these laws do exactly the opposite. A more cynical person might even go so far as to say that the EU legislation is in place to protect the interests of the large seed companies.
If you are interested in finding out a little more about this please visit the excellent blog Bifurcated Carrots maintained by an anglophone living in The Netherlands. There is a link there to a petition that you can sign if you feel so moved.
Edit 7th May 2013: It seems that intense lobbying from various groups such as Arche Noah within the EU have had a positive result. The revamped EU seed laws now include a new category within which small groups and enterprises may grow and trade whatever seeds they like, exempt from the rigours of the rest of the legislation. A victory for common sense.
Cheers