NEW REPORT ON INTERNATIONAL SEEDS DAY: UK trade deals are harming farmers’ rights across the world
19 UK trade deals covering 68 countries put pressure on governments to introduce damaging seed privatisation laws.
UK trade deals block farmers’ access to essential seeds, a new report by Transform Trade reveals today on International Seeds Day.
Farmers across the world are being prevented from reusing and exchanging seeds which have been patented, due to the UK and other countries pushing for stringent seed laws through its trade agreements.
Called The International Convention of the Union for the Protection of New Plant Varieties 1991 or ‘ UPOV91’, this obscure Conventions sets out rules which severely limit farmers ability to re-use, exchange or sell seeds that have been patented. Once the obligation to comply with UPOV91 is in a trade agreement, it becomes internationally enforceable.
The UK currently has 19 trade deals covering 68 countries which encourage or require countries to comply with UPOV91.
In countries that have introduced these seed laws, there are cases where farmers have been put in prison for saving and exchanging seeds.1 Others simply stop saving all seeds because they are afraid of being criminalised. Farmers are pushed to buy commercial seeds instead of buying them from their neighbours or getting them at local seed banks, which increases their costs, with potentially devastating impacts on farmer livelihoods.
There are also worrying implications for climate action. The world already relies on a tiny number of plant varieties. Despite there being over 7,000 edible plant species, 90% of the world’s calories come from just 7 plants.2 This makes our food system very vulnerable to extreme weather and diseases.
The Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recognises the need for a diversity of seeds as one of the most important tools for climate-change adaption. But Transform Trade’s report finds that UK trade agreements are removing the ability of countries and farmers to use this vital tool.
International Seeds Day is often celebrated by seed companies showcasing their commercial varieties. But this year, Transform Trade’s report celebrates the importance of farmer-managed seed systems, and indigenous seeds for climate resilience, food sovereignty and farmer livelihoods.
Hannah Conway, Agriculture Policy Adviser at Transform Trade said: “Many smallholder farmers in the Global South rely on saving, exchanging and selling their seeds. In some African countries around 90% of crops sown every year are reliant on these farmer-managed seed systems but the UK is simply not considering this in its trade negotiations.
"Indigenous seeds can be more resistant to pests and diseases, reducing the need for fertilisers and pesticides, as well as adapting to climate impacts.
“Yet farmers can be penalised for seed saving and exchange, even if they were involved in the development of that seed.”
The report recommends that the UK Government:
Removes and ceases to include UPOV91 and any other intellectual property requirements from trade deals which restrict the rights of farmers to use, sell, breed or exchange seeds.
Ensures the following international agreements guide UK trade policy, UK trade deals and work with other governments to promote them internationally:
The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Seed Treaty)
The UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP).
The UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 2, Zero Hunger.
Works multilaterally and bilaterally with governments whose national policies align with the Seed Treaty (which respect the rights of smallholder farmers to save, use, breed and exchange seeds) to promote its aims and to promote global compliance.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Farmers’ right to seeds and the importance of plant genetic diversity has been recognised in a number of international agreements the UK is signatory to including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger).
Despite only cultivating 12% of all agricultural land, smallholder farmers produce at least a third of the world’s food, with some estimating that this figure is closer to two thirds.3 Many smallholder farmers rely on farmer-managed seed systems i.e. they access seeds by saving, exchanging or buying them from farmers’ networks.
Large corporations have increasingly dominated the world’s seed market; just five companies control 58% of the market share of the seed industry, with two of those controlling 40% alone.4
Between 1900-1990, around 75% of plant varieties were lost as farmers moved away from indigenous and diverse varieties of crop towards uniform, high-yielding varieties, otherwise known as commercial seed varieties. 5
About Transform Trade: Transform Trade supports producers across the world – helping them to build a bright future for their communities and fight for a fairer trade system.
Through a combination of direct grants, long-term support, and advocacy, we help producer collectives and social enterprises to thrive – and show the world that a better way of doing business is possible.
We work across East Africa and South Asia, and our focus is on making change in the farming, fashion and tea sectors.
For more information, interviews, or further comment, please contact: Hannah Conway, Trade & Agriculture Policy Adviser, Transform Trade, Hannah.conway@transform-trade.org; +44 (0) 7366605240