EU lawmakers reach deal to modernize seed and plant material rules

EU lawmakers have reached a provisional agreement on sweeping reforms to the bloc’s rules governing the production and marketing of plant reproductive material, marking one of the most significant updates to the framework in decades.

Negotiators from the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament were in talks until late last night in Strasbourg, as part of trilogue discussions. They have agreed on a new regulatory framework designed to replace a patchwork of sector-specific directives, some of which date back to the 1960s.

Seed reform

The reform is intended to modernize the EU’s seed sector by making it easier to bring innovative and locally adapted plant varieties to market while simplifying administrative procedures for businesses and national authorities.

The proposed legislation aims to boost agricultural biodiversity, support the conservation of locally adapted plant varieties, and ensure that seeds, and other plant reproductive materials available on the EU market, are better suited to the challenges posed by climate change, pests, and diseases.

Under the agreement, the EU would introduce a single harmonized set of rules across member states, while also encouraging the use of digital tools, biomolecular techniques, and other modern breeding and production methods.

Cutting red tape

The reform is also intended to reduce administrative burdens for both regulators and industry operators through clearer procedures and greater use of digital documentation.

EU officials said the new framework would help improve food and feed security, protect plant genetic resources, and strengthen biodiversity, including through more flexible rules for conservation varieties, and plant material intended for organic farming.

Lawmakers retained mandatory sustainability assessments for key agricultural crops, potatoes, and vines, while introducing targeted exemptions and simplified requirements aimed at reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens.

“The agreement delivers rules that support innovation, strengthen biodiversity, and provide farmers across Europe with the high-quality material they need to ensure productive, resilient, and sustainable agricultural production,” says Maria Panayiotou, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment of the Republic of Cyprus.

The provisional deal still requires formal approval by both the European Parliament and member states before it can enter into force. Once adopted, the new rules would apply after a four-year transition period.

Criticism of the deal

While the new seed marketing rules are intended to make it easier to market a wider range of traditional, locally adapted, and conservation varieties, an Austria-based non-profit organization that works to preserve agricultural biodiversity, particularly traditional and rare crop varieties, ARCHE NOAH, argues that separate legislation on new genomic techniques could increase the influence of patented gene-edited crops in the seed market. 

The organization warns that broader patent protection could make it harder for smaller breeders and farmers to access genetic resources, potentially offsetting some of the diversity gains promised by the seed reform.

ARCHE NOAH says that despite what they describe as “minor improvements” in yesterday’s negotiations, new bureaucratic requirements for small-scale producers remain excessively high. 

Proposals to strengthen the sustainability of agriculture were significantly weakened during the negotiations, the organization claims. For example, official testing of new varieties will still be carried out using pesticides and synthetic fertilizers rather than under low-input conditions. There will be no mandatory rules on the cultivation of herbicide-tolerant varieties to prevent harm to agriculture and the environment, only optional provisions.

More votes tomorrow

Tomorrow, the European Parliament is due to hold its final plenary vote on the EU regulation covering plants developed through new genomic techniques (NGTs), including gene-editing technologies such as CRISPR. The vote follows a political agreement reached between Parliament and Council negotiators in late 2025 and subsequent committee approvals.

The proposed law would create a two-tier system where some gene-edited plants (NGT-1) would be treated much like conventionally bred crops and would face lighter regulatory requirements, while more complex gene-edited plants (NGT-2) would remain subject to stricter GMO-style rules.