Relaxing of rules on heritage seed.

Well that got to be good news but Im with you on the keep on swapping front :-)

I think I know what Heritage seeds are but surely they can never be true to type. Whenever we seed share, even organic, there has to be some cross fertilisation. The Noname tomato of the past cannot surely be the same today as it was then. Can it?

Well it would be great - but it sounds very vague -'might, could'-etc.

Bren, many toms, peas and climbing beans are self fertile. Often the sexual organs are actually sealed inside the non-opening petals, so they can only be self fertile unless you get to them early with a scalpel and paintbrush. So yes, the tomato can be the same as it was then.

A tiny, miniscule step in the right direction.
Stopping the sale of seed just because farmers don't use it is yet another reason to detest the EU - but if the article does do what it says, it can only be a good thing.

I still think they could get their hands off a bit more and make things better still, but as it stands opening them up to sale is a fantastic thing.

Dr Mark Fletcher should just keep his own prejudice to himeself though. Consumers can decide for themselves what they want - we don't need some jumped up doctorate holder to tell us that we don't want older varieties.

It's amazing I can find something to grumble about in an article that's generally good news and a step away from the insanity of the EU... I'm happy that changes might be afoot, but the fact someone will speak out against such things strikes me as absolutely barmy.

RReally though - I'm about this.

I suspect it's just because companies want to stock and sell them; rather than any altruistic tendencies.

There is bound to be financial gain for someone and it probably wont be us consumers. There are no seed swap events around this area but I'm led to believe that an average donation of about a £1 is the usual going rate. Ill bet that if this legislation goes through the seed companies will jump on the band wagon but will be charging three times as much.

Ian

Well I for one much prefer seed swapping to anything else - as long as this tradition continues I think the seed merchants can please themselves! As long as they don't exploit the amateur growers, that is.

Heritage 'Rules may be relaxed

Heritage seed rules relaxed | Horticulture Week Daily | Horticulture Week


The Food & Environment Research Agency (FERA) plans to relax regulations on selling thousands of heritage varieties of plant seeds, giving gardeners "a whole new raft of varieties" in the marketplace.

Seed companies have made representations over the years about scheduled vegetable seeds. EU rules state that if a variety is not on a national list, you can't sell it.

Suttons Seeds sales and marketing director David Arnold said: "These rules are set up to protect commercial growers. But interesting stuff such as tomato heritage varieties are not maintained/scheduled so are not on the national list so you can't sell them. But this is something Defra might relax."

Revived varieties of tomatoes, cabbages and lettuces could come onto the market in two or three years. Seeds cost around £1,500 to register at present.

Arnold added: "We would want minimum germination levels and purities. This would give the average consumer a whole wealth of new stuff. Thousands of varieties would be made available and after testing hundreds would be up to our standards.

"Many are the parent lines for hybrids and have good taste, growth properties, pest and disease resistance and adaptability to climate conditions. But because they are not seen as being commercial they cost producers money to maintain on the national list.

A FERA representative said: "FERA will be consulting on the introduction of simpler national listing requirements for vegetable seed sold to amateurs. This follows the introduction of commission Directive 2009/145/EC. FERA is working on options, through discussion with interested parties, before formally consulting.

"We're speaking to a number of different companies and organisations informally before the formal consultation. The time frame is by the end of this year. We can't give any specific examples but the new legislation will be open to any variety sold only to amateurs and heritage varieties."

Suttons technical manager Tom Sharples said the EU system was designed for commercial growers and home growers "got sucked in unnecessarily". He added that many "heritage and nostalgia" vegetables were not suitable for revival but new varieties bred for home gardeners from the USA and Europe could come in. Technically cut and come again salad mixes were against the regulations because they mixed varieties but the public would create a "furore" if Defra stopped these "vast" sales.

HTA consultant David Brown said: "I think it will be a good move to open up the amateur market to some of the older varieties that have disappeared. It will be good for gardeners to be able to try varieties that have effectively been overtaken in the marketplace. It will be important that quality seeds are put on the market to avoid disappointing gardeners.

"I can see older gardeners harking back to varieties they grew in the past but have been unable to source more recently and can also well imagine younger gardeners being encouraged by parents and grandparents to try varieties that they remember."

But Westland head of horticulture Dr Mark Fletcher said consumers wanted reliable seeds rather than older, often poorer varieties.

Robinsons representative Susan Robinson said there was now a "huge market" for heritage varieties, many of which were already being sold. She added that the new rules would stop Defra having to "turn a blind eye" to the selling of heritage varieties.

I dunno zaz - you're not even at GO yet, and you're already getting stuff changed.

LOL!!!!

As if.

Zaz
I agree completely that this will be down to someone wanting to sell the stuff putting on the pressure.
Seed swapping can always continue regardless, especially since there are no patents on the heritage ones, but it's good (I think) that people who can't easily get to a swap can buy some instead of being "limited" to the ones on some list or other. I just hope newcomers to GYO don't end up buying tricky ones, failing and being put off trying again.