The sale of peasant seeds finally authorized, victory!

[GuyGadebois]

The information went almost unnoticed in the middle of the news but the sale of peasant seeds to amateur gardeners was officially authorized and published in the Official Journal dated June 11.

This law is the culmination of several years of combat and twists and turns since this possibility of sale had been voted in the law for the recovery of biodiversity in 2016 and then censored by the Constitutional Council because it only authorized the only associations to do so.
And what do we mean by "peasant seeds"?

These seeds are those that a farmer will take directly from his harvest in order to replant them. For millennia, all seed was "by nature" the result of peasant labor. A practice which guaranteed the financial independence and autonomy of farmers.

And then, from the 30s, the legislation has evolved considerably in order to regulate practices. Since then, each new variety of seed has been subject to regulations with an inscription in the official catalog which was created in 1932.

Each new variety is given an identity card in order to validate its homogeneity, its stability while providing added agronomic value by being more efficient than the other already existing varieties. Criteria that have been designed to meet the needs of the agro-food industry and intensive conventional agriculture in order to force farmers to buy seeds. Very quickly, multinationals like Monsanto established themselves as the leaders of this market which found itself, controlled by a limited number of players.

Peasant seeds, you understand, do not meet these criteria because they are unstable and heterogeneous. These are seeds that evolve.

The exchange of seeds between farmers is therefore considered illegal in the name of the regulatory protection of property on patents, which has called into question centuries of peasant practice and the circulation of varieties across the territories, threatening the diversity of seeds. available.
And what has this law changed in practice?

She clarifies and authorizes something that, in fact, was already practiced. Patrick de Kochko, who was an agricultural engineer and who produces cereals from peasant seeds, explains that there was already an amateur use based on the donation and exchange of peasant seeds not registered in the official catalog.

The seed artisans could indeed already offer these seeds with a specific inscription on the sachet. According to Barbara Pompili, the LReM president within the commission of sustainable development of the National assembly, the sale of varieties of seeds of the public domain not registered in the Official Catalog to amateurs is a big step for biodiversity because of the significant genetic diversity of these seeds.

The next battle to fight, she said, is now to authorize European marketing of these seeds in conventional agriculture. CONTINUE THE FIGHT !!!

It was time, and the frenzied lobbying of industrial seed companies could not do anything this time. SO MUCH BETTER.

[Moindreffor]

that's good news, yes and no
because if we read the text
Each new variety is given an identity card in order to validate its homogeneity, its stability while providing added agronomic value while being more efficient than the other already existing varieties. Criteria that have been designed to meet the needs of the food industry and intensive conventional agriculture to force farmers to buy seeds.

I think that the blue part was the real initial goal which is commendable, but to affix and then associate the red part which for me is much more recent, and does not date from 1932 ... is a little more to echo the public opinion of the moment, we brush in the direction of the hair

then, without the validity of homogeneity, it is indeed certain that we will go towards biodiversity, because there we open the possibility of selling to everyone, and therefore we will see flourish from the sale of seeds in garage sales, etc ... and so we will sell you seeds of Montfavet for example, and there yes it is opening to biodiversity, since this variety is a hybrid ...

so is this really a step forward?

I compare that to the sale of dogs which has always been authorized and which has been recently regulated, to guarantee homogeneity and put it in the hands of professionals, and here we do the opposite ...

[GuyGadebois]

that's good news, yes and no
because if we read the text
Each new variety is given an identity card in order to validate its homogeneity, its stability while providing added agronomic value while being more efficient than the other already existing varieties. Criteria that have been designed to meet the needs of the food industry and intensive conventional agriculture to force farmers to buy seeds.

Yes but that was BEFORE, and it was already pure pipeau (the peasants were already doing this work in a natural way), except what is written in red.

[Moindreffor]

Yes but that was BEFORE, and it was already pure pipeau (the peasants were already doing this work in a natural way), except what is written in red.

you can explain to me because there I understood nothing of your remark

[GuyGadebois]

Yes but that was BEFORE, and it was already pure pipeau (the peasants were already doing this work in a natural way), except what is written in red.

you can explain to me because there I understood nothing of your remark

I mean that humans did not wait for the so-called agrarian revolution and specialized organizations to select and sort their seeds, quite the contrary.

[Moindreffor]

Yes but that was BEFORE, and it was already pure pipeau (the peasants were already doing this work in a natural way), except what is written in red.

you can explain to me because there I understood nothing of your remark

I mean that humans did not wait for the so-called agrarian revolution and specialized organizations to select and sort their seeds, quite the contrary.

absolutely, but it's like everything, the more you specialize the more efficient you are, the seeders have made certain varieties evolve faster which have suddenly been more productive, after that it's a question of choice and way of to work

the farmers have delegated the production of seeds to professionals to increase their yields, then we must not complain about having to buy from them

If not at an amateur level, it is obvious that producing your seeds yourself is always done, but is giving everyone the possibility of selling seeds a real step forward? since there will no longer be any guarantee on homogeneity and moreover the declared aim is precisely variability to increase biodiversity, is vegetable biodiversity good for the amateur?

especially if this biodiversity is accompanied by a traditional culture in bare soil and copper sulphate with a boost of fertilizer to hope to grow tomatoes which over time will return to the wild form or cherry tomato format ...

then, if this measure makes it possible to formalize or legalize the exchange of seeds between amateurs, okay, the commercial aspect seems very questionable to me

[dede2002]

... especially if this biodiversity is accompanied by a traditional culture in bare soil and copper sulphate with a boost of fertilizer to hope to grow tomatoes which over time will return to the wild form or cherry tomato format ...

...

Agree with the first half of your sentence, but not with the second!

[Moindreffor]

... especially if this biodiversity is accompanied by a traditional culture in bare soil and copper sulphate with a boost of fertilizer to hope to grow tomatoes which over time will return to the wild form or cherry tomato format ...

...

Agree with the first half of your sentence, but not with the second!

Why?
the current tomato varieties have been selected, even if very applied there will always be a small tendency to lose the selected characters and therefore the possibility of returning to the original form, so if in addition it is not well done , the risk increases

we already talked about it here and there, making your own seeds is very good but it's still amateur work, the possibility of drift exists

for me, it's like having a banquet by a professional, or by an amateur who calls himself a good cook, there will remain a doubt, and therefore is it really a good thing? the goal being clearly to introduce biodiversity and therefore lose the homogeneity acquired by selection

after you can buy 20 varieties of tomatoes and mix all the seeds you will have a beautiful biodiversity but is that what you are looking for?

[dede2002]

Why?

According to you, the conquistadors brought back cherry tomatoes, and we made big tomatoes out of them?

Personally I have grown for 5 years large tomatoes with my seeds, of a variety cultivated for 150 years ...

[Paul72]

Why?

According to you, the conquistadors brought back cherry tomatoes, and we made big tomatoes out of them?

Personally I have grown for 5 years large tomatoes with my seeds, of a variety cultivated for 150 years ...

Yes, do not take peasants or even amateur gardeners for badgers, the selection of seeds is always done, and in general if we are conscientious we carefully select the seed carriers to ensure that the desired characters are transmitted as best as possible . Degeneration is a legend except from f1 hybrids where inevitably it will be more difficult to obtain homogeneous lines, after several generations. We even end up with improved varieties for its terroir by selecting the most suitable plants yourself (and with the genetic ear that gets involved that counts as a bonus)

The end goal is to have plants more resistant to local conditions without treatments and with less fertilizer.