Seed saving

Replica is a form of seed production by farmers on their own farms. Also, the seed thus produced is referred to as replica. For replica suitable varieties are referred to as seed firmly.

According to § 10a of the German federal Plant Variety Protection Act is imitation " crop, which has benefited from growing of plant material (...) in their own operation, a farmer and used there as propagating material ". The reproduction of legally protected species seed is permitted ( " farmers' privilege " ) when the farmer to the holder of the plant variety right shall pay a fee replica and enforcement him to certain disclosure requirements.

The theme replica of seed is diskutiuert controversial for years. Organizations representing the interests of non-industrial agriculture - such as the ABL - speak regularly against giving the right of farmers to a "free imitation" of the varieties already used by them to limit. Should it come to large-scale cultivation of genetically modified crops, such as oilseed rape or winter cereals come, representatives of the German Farmers' Union fear a significant financial burden, since the replica is more expensive here because of the variety protection additional adventitious patent protection.