Next year, the European Union will begin discussions on new seed regulations. However, critics fear that this project will sound the death knell for many small farms and jeopardise agricultural diversity. They also describe it as a bureaucratic headache, insurmountable for small farms.
Published by Brujitafr 29 December 2025
Whether cereals, vegetables or fruit, they all have one thing in common: they grow from seeds. Without seeds, life on Earth would be impossible. Even for human meat consumption, seeds are essential, because farm animals also eat plants.
The diversity of grains is immense, yet consumers are rarely aware of this on a daily basis. Wheat flour in 500 or 1,000 gram sachets, rice generally packaged in transparent containers of a similar size, maize in tins, on the cob or in sachets: all these products are already processed and available on supermarket shelves. Behind this seemingly simple range, however, lies a much more complex story: that of seeds, their cultivation and distribution.
Seed sales in 2024: US$75 billion
Wheat is the main cereal crop, grown on around 222 million hectares worldwide – mainly in Europe, North America and Asia. In 2023, Russia was the leading producer, with around 91 million tonnes, 75% of which was grown in the European part of the country.
Within the EU, France leads the way with almost 36 million tonnes harvested from nearly 6 million hectares, followed by Ukraine with 21.6 million tonnes from 4.6 million hectares. Germany harvested 21.5 million tonnes from 2.9 million hectares.
Worldwide, around 799 million tonnes of wheat were harvested in 2023, slightly less than the 800 million tonnes of rice. The maize harvest was even larger, reaching 1.24 billion tonnes.
The diversity of varieties is immense: rice has more than 100,000 species, maize thousands, and wheat around 25 species and several hundred cultivated varieties.
Global seed sales reached around $75 billion in 2024 and could rise to $148 billion by 2034. The NGO Arche Noah points out that three major companies – Bayer, Corteva and Syngenta – dominate the market with a 52% share, of which Bayer alone accounts for 23%. Sales have risen sharply since 2020.
The EU wants to strengthen diversity, but critics warn of the losses that would ensue.
Negotiations on new seed regulations to begin in Brussels in 2026
The NGO Arche Noah is warning of the risks to seed diversity posed by EU projects.
On 10 December, the Council of EU Agriculture Ministers agreed on a negotiating position for the new “Regulation on the production and marketing of plant material”. Trialogue negotiations between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission will begin next year.
One of the main objectives of this regulation is to promote agrobiodiversity, but critics believe that it is precisely this objective that is under threat. Arche Noah describes the Council’s decision as a “bureaucratic nightmare” that imposes work and exchange bans on small breeders and severely restricts varietal diversity.
Instead of protecting small businesses, the same bureaucratic regulations would apply to them as to multinationals. Small companies, in particular, make an invaluable contribution to preserving old, open-pollinated varieties, as they often offer a greater diversity of crops than large companies. What’s more, these regulations could hinder the marketing of new, diversified varieties of cereals and oilseeds.
“The position taken by the agriculture ministers jeopardises those who preserve agricultural diversity. We call for reason in order to protect the resilience of agriculture, as well as the diversity and flavour of food products”, said Magdalena Prieler, seed law expert at Arche Noah.
The seeds market dominated by five major companies
The draft regulations, which would only authorise derogations from the strict uniformity requirements for fruit and vegetables, would heavily penalise breeders of diversified varieties.
“Regional farms offering seeds adapted to specialist crops or developing varieties for innovative, environmentally-friendly growing systems, such as market gardens, would be excluded from the market”, explains Magdalena Prieler.
These regulations would make farmers “totally dependent” on the seed industry.
In Europe, a few large companies already control the market: Bayer, Corteva, Groupe Limagrain, KWS and Syngenta alone account for around two-thirds. The European seeds market reached around 13.1 billion dollars in 2024 and could reach 18 billion dollars by 2030, with an annual growth rate of 5.4%.
Hybrid seeds
The market is dominated by hybrid seeds, produced by crossing pure lines, which can produce yields up to 30% higher. Demand is on the rise, particularly in Spain, Italy and the UK, making farmers increasingly dependent on these companies.
Opportunities and risks of hybrid seeds
Hybrid seed offers significantly higher yields, putting other varieties at a competitive disadvantage. Farmers who reject them often find it difficult to make a profit, as growers who use hybrid seed obtain cheaper and more regular harvests.
What’s more, farmers cannot multiply hybrid seeds themselves: crossing two pure lines leads to genetic confusion, which reduces the productivity of the offspring. So they have to buy new seed every year, often at high prices set by the breeders.
The emphasis in hybrid breeding is on yield and disease resistance, to the detriment of taste, aroma, vitamins and other nutrients.
Even before the presentation of the EU Council’s negotiating position, more than 200 farmers, breeders and environmental organisations protested. Without measures to protect seed diversity and farmers’ rights, Europe risks creating a seed system that compromises climate resilience, sustainable agriculture and food sovereignty.
Criticism of administrative burdens
Signatories to the protest letter include Arche Noah and IFOAM – Organics International, the world’s leading organic farming organisation, with around 800 member organisations in over 120 countries. It is committed to promoting the principles of organic agriculture on a global scale and to creating policy frameworks for sustainable food systems.
Eric Gall, Deputy Director of IFOAM Organics Europe, stresses the need for a legal framework that promotes a diversified seed market and ensures that farmers can choose varieties suited to their systems. Limiting conservation varieties to specific plant species and regions of origin would seriously harm organic farmers and breeders.
The signatories also call for transparency in breeding methods and intellectual property rights, free access to genetic resources and protection for small seed companies against disproportionate administrative burdens – essential elements in maintaining locally adapted seeds and varietal diversity.
