Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 5216 I EUROPEAN SEED I EUROPEAN-SEED.COM as precision farming, digital farming, and it is crucial to do more here,” Pesonen stressed. Patenting Products of Essentially Biological Processes “We also support the EU Commission recommendations to not allow patents on products which have been created via essentially biological processes. The Commission’s notice in November under- lined that plants that are obtained by means of ‘essentially biological’ breeding techniques are not patentable. This rec- ommendation goes against the practices of the European Patent Office (EPO) which has already authorized many patents using essentially biological pro- cesses like tomatoes and broccoli. The Commissions’ recommendation is a step in the right direction,” he said. Pesonen explained that COPA & COGECA have constantly stressed that patent law is an inappropriate instrument for the EU agriculture sector. All genetic resources must remain readily available for farmers and breeders so that they can make progress in the breeding sector. “But the Commission’s recommen- dation is not clear on excluding natural traits obtained by non-essentially biolog- ical processes from patentability. These New Breeding Techniques are yet to be defined and classified by the Commission. Moreover, the Commission’s recommen- dation is not legally binding and the EPO is an independent body. We therefore call on national governments to ensure that the EPO respects the Commission’s recommendation in order to ensure that existing plants do not fall under the scope of patent law.” Pesonen urged the European Commission to ensure that research, development and innovation projects on NBTs are not outsourced outside of the EU, and public research institutes can continue to enjoy access to these new techniques. The EU's Horizon 2020 program needs to be used to support research, innovation and the development of NBTs in agriculture. “A top priority for us in the coming months is also to prepare for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post-2020, so that we will be in a strong position to take part on EU Commission public consultation on this in 2017,” he added. “After suffering a severe agriculture crisis for over two years in Europe, hit by low prices and high input costs, we want a much stronger CAP in the future which has truly common policies to ensure a level playing field with less red tape that stifles innovation. The CAP post- 2020 must better respond to consumer demands and to crises. It must be stable and based on economics so that farmers and agri-cooperatives can plan ahead and remain viable. More focus needs to be put on innovation, research and development. Infrastructures also need to be improved in many EU rural areas with access to broadband, education and training so that farmers can benefit from the new technologies,” he added. Wrapping up, he explained that the joint COPA & COGECA Secretariat was first created in 1962 in Brussels and represents the united voice of farmers and agri-cooperatives in the EU. COPA represents nearly 23 million farmers and their families whilst COGECA represents the interests of 22,000 agricultural cooperatives. “Together, we want to ensure that the EU agriculture sector is sustainable, innovative and competitive, guaranteeing food security to half a billion people throughout Europe,” Pesonen said. Based in Brussels, representing 66 member organisations from the EU member states, Pesonen said their aim is to influence key EU policymakers in Brussels about the benefits of the EU agriculture sector for quality food supplies, the environment, growth and jobs. “We have 45 working parties that meet regularly to develop our joint position papers on upcoming issues and which are approved by presidents from across Europe so that we can be in a position to inform decision-makers of our views. We also aim to better communicate with the public about the good work farmers and cooperatives do and of the many benefits a sustainable EU agriculture sector has to offer.”