Potato World vision Limit on breeders’ exemption undesirable The improvement of plant varieties is a matter that concerns consumers, the processing industry, farmers and the seed sector. There is a shared interest. Farmers have an interest in new resistances, processors and consumers in quality aspects, and breeders in good seed marketing. The costs of breeding are borne by the entire chain by paying royalties on certified or reused seed to the holder of the breeders’ right. Since plant breeding always builds on the work of others, the rights of the breeder are limited and everyone can freely use any protected variety for further breeding and research. Patenting plant varieties is excluded from the (98/44/EC) European Biotechnology Directive. The breeders’ right only protects the final product – the variety - and not the methods by which it is produced. This has changed with the application of new technologies in plant breeding. Patents on such techniques could extend to the material and as the patent right does not provide exceptions for the use of further breeding, the balance of rights among the players in the chain is disrupted – particularly because patents are also granted on characteristics of plants. Supported by Plantum, among others, the Dutch Potato Organisation (NAO) has adopted a clear position: biotechnology patents should be possible but, given the exclusion from patenting of plant varieties, the application of such a patent should not be able to block the practical breeding. State Secretary Bleker has endorsed this view and has promised to seek support for such a law change in Brussels. The problem is also recognised in other countries. Our German and French colleagues at Plantum are looking for a solution – especially as regards limiting the patentability (no patents on natural characteristics); vegetable seed companies are currently discussing whether open, but paid access to stock can be arranged. Possibly in response to the rights of biotechnologists, some breeders are trying to ensure via other ways that their competitors can or may no longer use their stock. Such restrictions of the breeders’ exemption are also undesirable – plant breeding thrives best in open competition based on the quality of the varieties and a subsequent maximum access to genetic material. ● Niels Louwaars Director Plantum PW-ACTUA New plant resistance reference book for breeders. Four academics who are engaged in plant breeding and plant diseases have recently published a new reference book on these topics. The title of the 200 pages of writing is: Breeding Crops with resistance to pests and diseases. It is entirely written in English and compiled by Rienst Nothing, Jan Parlevliet, Pim Lindhout and Yuling Bai. Breeding Crops discusses, among other things, which pests and diseases threaten our cultivated crops and how breeders can arm themselves against them. The reference book comprises years of research and information ranging from the 1970s up to the present day. According to the authors, the emphasis lies mainly on the molecular aspects of plant pathogen interactions. With this collection of data, they aim to contribute to a better understanding of the breeding methods and principles that are relevant to breeders, it says in the general introduction. The reference book is ideal for students who are studying plant science, and have the necessary knowledge of genetics and breeding, and for professionals at breeding stations and institutes who deal with pest and disease resistance. The book is available at €44 excluding VAT. More information can be found on the website: www.wageningenacademic.com/breedingcrops. ● Great Britain welcomes World Potato Congress World Potato Congress Inc (WPC) has appointed Potato Council to stage the event in Great Britain. The aim is to bring the world’s potato specialists together to create a forum conducive to the sharing of information on all aspects of the potato industry. Allan Stevenson, chairman of Potato Council and a substantial potato grower in his own right, says that WPC 2012, taking place in Edinburgh, May 27-30, will be a global knowledge exchange enabling those with technical or commercial interests to meet others from around the world to improve their potato enterprise performance. For more information: www.wpc2012.net Potato World 2011 • number 4 15 Pagina 14
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