b'Moreover, these practices are commonly connectedments. If we can get all of the stakeholders to align, then with criminal activities, such as tax evasion, fraud, cor- we can work to fight this problem more efficiently. ruption and even labour exploitation, all of which have a negative impact on society.Working for ChangeVillarroel says that much more awareness needs to be How do Infringements Affect Farmers? built, and ISF and seed companies are on the case to To seed companies, infringements are a nightmare. Itsprotect their seed. difficult to accept that someone else is copying your hardISF is becoming more and more aware of the exten-work and research. However, this nightmare extendssiveness of the problem with seed infringements, he says. down the value chain to farmers, as well.Now, were working to gain a better understanding of all Villarroel says one of the biggest questions the seedof the data weve received from our internal survey.industry faces is what happens to the farmer when illegalISF adopted a clear and straightforward position paper seed practices make their way down the chain to them. aimed at increasing engagement within the seed sector At a farmers level, they care about the crucial ele- and strengthening advocacy with relevant stakeholders to ments of crop production: good germination, absenceimprove legal systems and enforcement conditions, capac-of weeds, no disease, good yield and quality, he says.ity and capabilities.When those illegal seeds go into market, or when farm- The final step? Getting the information out to ISF ers get fake seeds, they suffer. members. Farmers livelihoods are at stake. Fake seeds placeWe took a stance against illegal seed practices, and their productivity, income and families at risk. In the longnow were working on aligning different stakehold-run, fake seeds could erode farmers confidence in theers in the value chain like CIOPORA, CropLife, Anti-seed sector and decrease their overall capacity for sustain- Infringement Bureau and Breeders Trust, as well as able food production.engaging with international bodies like the Organisation Every time a farmer receives fake seed, it hurts thefor Economic Cooperation and Development.reputation of our entire industry. We cannot afford that. In the coming years, well need to produce 70% more food than we are currently producing, and theres not much more arable land, Villarroel says. The only way well be able to succeed is to continuously innovate andAntonio Villarroel serves as sustainably produce crops, and thats really threatened bysecretary general of ANOVE illegal practices.and chair of the ISF Illegal Seed Practices Working A Lack of Awareness in the Legal System Group.He says some problems stem from the lack of awareness around the subject, as well. Im firmly convinced that there is a lack of awareness of the work of plant breeders, Villarroel says. Because seed infringements dont affect public health or the tax income by governments in the same way that other well- As for seed companies, Villarroel says its imperative to known infringements on alcohol or phytosanitary prod- protect your intellectual property (IP) rights. ucts do, it isnt the main focus of law enforcement andThe main way the private sector is responding is by theres a lot of regulatory loopholes around the subject. protecting their germplasm rights, he says. Some com-He says one thing thats helping keep regulatory loop- panies practicing infringements are trying to save money, holes away from seed infringements is UPOV, but evenbecause germplasm is expensive. How should companies with UPOV enforcement, there are still issues when goingrespond? Get licenses. to court to tackle infringements. Villarroel says that 60% of ISF members are using Plant breeding is an extremely technical activity, andlicenses to prevent infringements. Other companies are its difficult to educate law enforcement on the subject,working on engaging and educating, which is just as he says. In many legal trials, it is difficult to find evi- important. dence because you would need to reproduce the varie- We communicate well internally, but the seed sector ties. Often the authorities resort to DNA testing, which ishasnt excelled in communicating externally, he says. Most a quicker but a less thorough way to determine if therepeople dont even know about the seed industry or the has been an infringement. impact we have on agriculture worldwide. It is our respon-In some countries, there is a lack of commitment onsibility to communicate, because with communication, we the authorities part regarding counterfeit seed, Villarroelcan explain how we support and work with farmers. says. What we really need is to go beyond regulations, and instead form a specialized court for plant breeding infringe-SEPTEMBER 2019GERMINATION.CA 17'