Argentina seed industry and producers reach agreement on law reform

Representatives from Argentina's agricultural sector and the seed industry have reached a new agreement regarding the modernization of the country's seed law, which has been in place for over 50 years. The consensus reached between entities such as the Asociación Semilleros Argentinos (ASA), Federación Agraria Argentina (FAA), Sociedad Rural Argentina (SRA), Carbap, and Coninagro focuses on three main pillars: the necessity of updating current regulations, finding common ground on the rights to free and paid self-use of seeds (including specific exceptions for certain producers), and strengthening trust across the supply chain.

However, the proposed reforms face criticism regarding sovereignty and farmer rights. Critics argue that aligning with international standards like the UPOV 91 convention, potentially linked to EU-Mercosur agreements, could limit farmers' traditional rights to reuse, store, or exchange seeds. Concerns have been raised that such changes could increase production costs by allowing seed companies to extend royalty collections to subsequent plantings and consolidate market control through biotechnological patenting.