criminilization of seeds in uk

[Azarius]

I recently heard somewhere about new legislation in the UK to ban sales of certain varieties of organic vegetable etc. seeds in other than small qtys... I searched online but couldnt find anything, does anyone know anything about this?

TIA

[laughingwillow]

huh?

[Amomynous]

Sound pretty fishy to me, so while I haven't heard anything about it yet, I'm sure we'll all be inundated with well-meaning, alarmist emails about it presently. Nothing spreads as quickly as fear.

[Azarius]

Some 98 per cent of vegetable varieties have disappeared over the past century and regulations are hastening the decline, according to an organic charity.

Garden Organic, which is dedicated to researching and promoting organic gardening, said 95 per cent of the vegetables eaten come from just 20 species of plants.

Remaining traditional species from Britain and abroad are facing extinction due to European Union regulations that ban the sale of seeds unless the variety is registered on a national or EU list.

Garden Organic said the loss of species threatened the diversity and of our food. Relying on a few species also threatened the security of supplies
...


telegraph article

[Azarius]

hmm maybe I slightly overreacted on hearing this initially, this seems to be old legislation, not new legislation...

[Amomynous]

Some 98 per cent of vegetable varieties have disappeared over the past century and regulations are hastening the decline, according to an organic charity.

Garden Organic, which is dedicated to researching and promoting organic gardening, said 95 per cent of the vegetables eaten come from just 20 species of plants.

Legal questions aside, heirloom vegetables taste better, are better for you, and help to preserve the genetic diversity of the planet. Everyone with a garden should grow some!