UPOV will be meeting in Geneva for its Spring session during the week of 3rd to 7th April 2017. Its main rule-making body, the Consultative Committee (CC) will meet on 5th April in the morning, and UPOV’s highest decision-making body, the UPOV Council will hold its meeting in the afternoon. The proceedings of the CC, where Council decisions are prepared, is closed to observers.
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This paper explores the likely implications of an approved Bayer-Monsanto merger for the South African agricultural system. It outlines the trend of consolidation occurring within the seed and agrochemical industries, provides a background to the merger, criticises the rationale given for the merger by Bayer and Monsanto and outlines concerns should the merger be approved in South Africa.
Oakland, CA—Ahead of World Bank’s release of the 2017 “Enabling the Business of Agriculture” (EBA) report this month, 157 organizations and academics from around the world denounce the Bank’s scheme to hijack farmers’ right to seeds, attack on food sovereignty and the environment.
Chee Yoke Ling et al., (September 2016) Farmers’ Right to Participate in Decision-making – implementing Article 9.2 (c) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources, Working Paper, APBREBES
(by Laurent Gaberell, Public Eye) On September 5, 2016, the Pakistan National Assembly adopted a Plant Breeders’ Rights Act (link is external) “to encourage the development of new plant varieties and to protect the rights of breeders of such varieties”.
UPOV member states gathered in Geneva between the 24th and 28th of October for UPOV's Autumn session. UPOVs main rule-making body, the Consultative Committee (CC) held its meeting the 27th of October, while the Council, the Union’s highest decision-making body, held its session the 28th of October. The meeting of the Administrative and Legal Committee (CAJ) took place the 25th of October.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, civil society, and farmers’ representatives have raised serious concerns on the upcoming adoption of draft regulations of a protocol protecting breeders’ rights in Africa. Civil society groups and farmers’ representatives have been blocked from participating in the meeting expected to adopt the regulations, according to them. The Special Rapporteur is calling for a halt to the process, and for starting again with a more transparent, inclusive, and evidence-based process.
Dear friends and colleagues,
Please find below an Open Letter by the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food highlighting concern over the Regional Arusha Protocol for the Protection of New Plant Varieties by the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO)
(Sangeeta Shashikant) – The Draft Regulations for the implementation of the Arusha Protocol for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants fails to elaborate a mechanism for operationalizing Article 4(1) of the Protocol on the right of a Contracting Party to object to the grant of plant breeders’ rights.
The right to object is a critical outcome that emerged out of intense negotiations preceding the adoption of the Protocol by Members of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO).