The organisation says proposed breeding requirements could restrict variety choice and urges policymakers to prioritise certified organic seed availability.
Euroseeds is calling on EU policymakers to assess varieties for organic farming by their field performance, warning that additional rules governing breeding processes could raise costs and reduce farmers’ access to suitable varieties.
In a new position paper on the revision of Regulation (EU) 2018/848 on organic production, the organisation raises concerns about Amendment 14, adopted by the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. The amendment would empower the European Commission to establish additional rules for organic plant breeding through future delegated acts.
Variety Performance Should Guide Assessment
Euroseeds supports the development of organic farming and the supply of high-quality certified organic plant reproductive material (PRM). However, it argues that regulating how varieties are bred is different from ensuring farmers have varieties suited to organic production, according to a press release.
According to the organisation, existing breeding programmes already deliver the agronomic performance, disease resistance and local adaptation needed for organic and low-input farming systems. It advocates assessing those characteristics rather than the breeding pathway used to develop a variety.
Additional Requirements Could Limit Choice
The position paper warns that further breeding-process requirements could restrict access to genetic resources, increase breeding costs and reduce efficiency. They could also leave fewer varieties available for multiplication under organic conditions.
Euroseeds argues that these outcomes could narrow farmers’ choices and prolong reliance on derogations where sufficient organic seed remains unavailable.
Certified Organic Seed Supply Remains the Priority
The organisation identifies the availability of certified organic PRM as the sector’s main challenge, rather than the origin of breeding programmes.
It calls for greater attention to multiplication capacity, seed quality, market information and the functioning of national organic seed databases to support the sector’s continued growth.
Euroseeds urges the European Parliament and the Council to remove Amendment 14, retain a performance-based approach to variety assessment and prioritise certified organic PRM availability. It recommends addressing any additional market demand through voluntary standards.
