A European Parliament push to ease new EU rules on seed marketing has sparked concern in the potato sector, as stakeholders warn that the draft legislation could increase the transmission risks of crop diseases.

Initially presented by the European Commission last July, the new regulation replaces ten EU directives that currently lay down rules for the production and marketing of Plant Reproductive Material (PRM), including a 2002 directive on the marketing of seed potatoes.

The position adopted by the Parliament’s Agriculture Committee (AGRI), authored by Italian MEP Herbert Dorfmann of the European People’s Party (EPP), goes beyond the exemptions proposed by the Commission for certain seed exchanges, and suggests relaxing the rules further.

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The European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee (AGRI) voted on Tuesday (19 March) to loosen rules on marketing seeds and plant reproductive material for conservation purposes and informal exchanges between farmers.

For Europatat, the organisation representing the interests of European potato and potato seed traders, AGRI’s position overlooks the specificities of this crop, which could have “serious consequences” for the sector.

“All these exceptions could create a parallel market of seeds,” Romans Vorss, Europatat’s technical affairs director, told Euractiv.

Just like commercial potatoes, seed potatoes or ‘tubers’ have soil attached, which can carry plant diseases.

Wireworms, beetles larvae digging holes in the tuber leading to production losses, are the main concerns for producers all over Europe.

In 2021, this pest caused a loss of 30,000 tons in Austria, 10% of the country’s potato production — and climate change is worsening the situation.

In Italy, high temperatures, droughts, and increasingly widespread damage from click beetles resulted in record-low yields in 2022.

While producers are looking for new ways to curb the spread of pests and diseases, of particular concern is AGRI’s amendment allowing farmers to exchange any type of PRM, including tubers, without adhering to the marketing rules.

This goes beyond the initial Commission proposal, which would only allow farmers to exchange seeds – and not tubers – in kind.

“That’s what we’re afraid of: we want to make sure that that there is some kind of check taking place before seeds are moved,” he added, noting phytosanitary risks are also present when moving potatoes within large farms spread out over long
distances.

Europe, ranked as the world’s third-largest producer of potatoes in 2021, maintains strict regulations on potato imports due to the high phytosanitary risks involved.

“By default, there is a ban on imports of seed potaoes,” explained Vorss, noting that certain countries in North Africa and the Middle East are exempted, as well as the UK and Switzerland.

Ahead of the vote, Europatat urges the Commission to “reconsider” the additional flexibility proposed by AGRI and revert to the original Commission’s draft text “to avoid further crisis.”

Clashing views

However, IFOAM, the organisation representing the EU’s organic farming sector, argues for allowing the exchange of reproductive material between farmers without bureaucratic burdens.

While acknowledging the concerns expressed by potato traders as “valid,” Eric Gall, IFOAM’s deputy director, told Euractiv that these arguments should not be “misused” to impose an “unjustified burden on small breeders.”

He explained that the exemptions proposed by AGRI are limited and would only apply to “non-profit” activities related to the conservation of genetic diversity and farmers’ own seeds.

Gall noted that EU plant health rules would continue to apply “regardless of whether a transfer of seeds is subject to marketing rules or not.”

A key vote

The outcome of next week’s vote remains uncertain, with Dorfman’s position expected to garner support from the socialist group (S&D), the second largest in Parliament, S&D sources told Euractiv.

However, both liberal and conservative MEPs are advocating for changes to the text.

An amendment put forward by Renew’s Irene Tolleret seeks to reintroduce provisions limiting farmer-to-farmer exchanges to seeds “to avoid increased phytosanitary risks.”

This proposal aligns with Europatat’s call to scrap further exemptions to seed marketing rules, a stance backed by influential lobbies such as the EU farming organisation Copa Cogeca and Euroseeds.

Meanwhile, Dorfmann is also proposing tweaks to the text, primarily focusing on narrowing down which practices qualify as conservation and should therefore be exempt from the regulation.

The Parliament will vote on its position during next week’s plenary session on Wednesday (24 April), the last sitting of the current mandate.

However, the Council is not expected to adopt a position on the text before autumn.

Several member states have raised similar concerns on the proposed exemptions to the marketing regulation, a diplomatic source confirmed.

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