109 



right to sell limited quantities of seed to their neighbors. If the U.S. Congress has 

 a "moral obligation," in regard to this issue, we believe it is to carefully review the 

 original intent of Congress in preserving and protecting the farmer's right to save 

 seed and to sell limited quantities to his or her neighbor. 



WiflUA Failure to Ratify t he 1991 UPOV Treaty Make the U.S. Seed Industry 

 T flgg Co mpetitive In the World Market? 



While proponents of H.R. 2927 argue that it is necessary for the U.S. to 

 conform to the newly revised UPOV Treaty, it is important to note that no. other 

 nation has ratified the 1991 treaty to date. In addition, the United States will suffer 

 no penalties by declining to adhere to the 1991 UPOV treaty. If the U.S. declines to 

 become a party to the new Convention, it will continue as a member of UPOV 

 adhering to the provisions of the 1978 Convention. According to Rob Robinson of 

 the American Seed Trade Association's Intellectual Property Rights Committee, 

 in the event that the U.S. does not become a party to the new UPOV convention, 

 U.S. breeders would not benefit from the stronger breeders' rights contained in 

 the new Convention within the U.S., but they would qualify for these rights in any 

 other UPOV members country which is a party to the new Convention. 4 



Tnfrrpaflon ftl Controversy Over Control and Ownership of Plant Genetic 

 Resources rVmM Jeoflan&BB Fntaqe Access to and Ffrrhanre of Cron Genetic 



All major food crops, the staple crops grown and consumed by the vast 

 majority of the world's population, have their origins and centers of diversity in 

 the tropics and sub-tropics of the developing world. 



The subject of crop genetic diversity assumes utmost urgency today because 

 we are losing biological resources at an unprecedented rate. The Food and 

 Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that, since the 

 beginning of this century, about 75% of the genetic diversity of agricultural crops 

 has been lost. 



Erosion of crop genetic diversity (the loss of genetic diversity through 

 extinction) threatens the existence and stability of our food supply. This is because 

 the diversity found in developing countries is vital for the maintenance and 

 improvement of new crop varieties. To maintain pest and disease resistance in 

 our major food crops, for instance, or to develop other needed traits like drought 

 tolerance or improved flavor, plant breeders constantly require fresh infusions of 

 genes from the farms, forests and fields of the developing world. The high- 

 yielding, elite cultivars of modern agriculture depend on a steady stream of new, 

 exotic germplasm. The U.S. government estimates that a 1 percent gain in crop 

 productivity due to the use of introduced germplasm numna a $1 billion dollar 

 benefit to the American economy. 



4 Robinson, Rob. 1991. "UPOV Convention: Plant Breeders' Rights Dance to a New Tune," Seed World, 

 May, p. 27. 



