Proposed amendment to the Seed and Seedling Act
The proposed amendment to the Seed and Seedlings Law, which regulates the unauthorized release of newly developed seeds and seedlings in Japan, has been postponed at the current Diet and has been decided for continued deliberation.
In order to prevent seeds and seedlings such as fruits registered in the country as new varieties from leaking overseas, the proposed amendment to the Seed and Seedling Law allows developers to limit the areas where new varieties are cultivated, and allows farmers to make seeds and seeds themselves. It is necessary to obtain permission from the developer to increase seedlings.
However, due to the prioritization of the response to the new coronavirus in the ordinary Diet, and due to the lack of sufficient deliberation time, it was decided to continue deliberation at the plenary session of the House of Representatives on the 17th.
Regarding this bill, some farmers, experts, etc. called for careful deliberation, saying that there is a risk that the burden on farmers will increase if seeds and seedlings are monopolized by overseas companies and high license fees are set. I am also going up.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said that many of the major crops were developed by public institutions, so that the burden on farmers would not increase, and that legislative amendments would be essential to enhance the competitiveness of Japanese agriculture. I would like to explain it carefully and try to establish it.