The renowned Indian activist Vandana Shiva and the European NGO-platform “No Patents on Seeds” joined forces today to file an opposition against the European Patent EP1962578.The patent was granted in May 2011 as an invention to the US Company Monsanto by the European Patent Office (EPO) in Munich, Germany and claims melons with a natural resistance to certain plant viruses originating in India. Critics point out that the patent was granted even though European Patent Law does not allow patents on conventional breeding. Furthermore, the reasons for the opposition also rest in Biopiracy.
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The patent granted to Monsanto raised contentions based on bio-piracy since it patents traits taken from indigenous melon varieties from India. Vandana Shiva, who was awarded with the Right Livelihoods Award (Alternative Nobel Price) in 1993 believes that there is an urgent need to ban all patents on life and living organisms including genes, breeding material and biodiversity.
Over the last few years, the plant disease Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus (CYSDV) has been spreading through North America, Europe and North Africa. The Indian melon, which confers resistance to this virus, is registered in international seed banks as PI 313970. With the new patent Monsanto gains control to block access to all breeding material inheriting the resistance derived from the Indian melon. The patent might discourage future breeding efforts and the development of new melon varieties. Melon breeders and farmers could be severely restricted by the patent. At the same time, it is already known that further breeding will be necessary to produce melons that are actually protected against the plant virus.
The coalition No Patents on Seeds! , which started the opposition is supported by the Berne Declaration (Switzerland), GeneWatch (UK), Greenpeace (Germany), Misereor (Germany), Development Fund (Norway), No Patents on Life (Germany), Reseau Semences Paysannes (France) and Swissaid (Switzerland). These organizations are calling for a revision of European Patent Law to exclude breeding material, plants and animals and food derived thereof from patentability.
Since March 2011, more than 250 organizations and around 53 000 individuals have signed this petition.
Author: Valli Shobhana
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