Brussels, April 17, saw the first Europe-wide seed swap,with representatives from 10 European countries offering hundreds of different varieties. Possibly the largest seed swap ever held in Europe, and certainly the first on a continent-wide basis.
Representing the UK were members of the Brighton seed swap and Neil
Munro of the Heritage Seed Library pictured here with Maria Scholten, a freelance researcher working with the Scottish Crofting Federation.
Well known seed organization Kokopelli had one of the largest stands.
In the afternoon were workshops with a number of different presentations, including a video of Olivier De Schutter, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, who made the case that EU seed laws violated the human rights of people around the world. Visitors from Turkey and India gave presentations outlining how EU seed laws affect people in their countries.
On the 18th was a street demonstration in opposition to plans to update EU seed laws.
For more pictures and video, see here.
