Seed Legislation in Europe and Crop Genetic Diversity

Seed legislation specifies the requirements that seed and other propagating material must fulfil to be marketed legally, and how this marketing may be conducted. Such legislation can have a great impact on the composition of the seed market, as well as on cultivation and breeding, not least as it has the potential to restrict access to and maintenance of crop genetic diversity. This article presents and discusses seed legislation in the European Union (EU) and its relationship to crop genetic diversity.