Commenting on yesterday’s European Parliament vote calling on the European Patents Office to stop granting patents on conventionally bred plants and animals, GM Freeze Campaign Director Pete Riley said:
“GM Freeze is delighted that MEPs have so conclusively voted to end the practice of granting patents for conventionally bred animals and plants.
“It is extraordinary that the European Patents Office even considered this, as the practice restricts access to the world’s genetic resources to patents holders and those who can afford to buy the rights to use the patented material. This kind of monopolistic control leads to a loss of agricultural biodiversity at a time when we need it most to ensure all plant and animal breeders throughout the world can continue to produce new varieties and strains that can cope with our rapidly changing world.”
