Towards informed decisions: Strengthened transparency and harmonisation of organic seed and plant material in Europe

Summary

The transition toward greater sustainability in European food systems depends on the wider availability and use of organic plant reproductive material (PRM), including seed and other propagating material adapted to organic farming conditions. Increasing the use of organic PRM is essential to strengthen the integrity and long-term development of the organic sector and the resilience and strategic autonomy of European food systems. Yet, reaching the objective 100% organic seed use in organic farming, set out in the EU Organic Regulation , remains challenging in many Member States due to persistent limitations in availability, diversity and accessibility of organic seed for several crops and regions.
The EU Organic Regulation foresees the gradual phase-out, by the end of 2036, of derogations that currently allow organic farmers to use untreated conventional seed when suitable organic seed is not sufficiently available on the market. Achieving this transition requires each Member State to develop clear and coherent national strategies to progressively increase the availability and use of organic PRM over time. At the same time, stronger coordination and exchange among Member States are needed to ensure convergence toward shared European objectives while taking into account different agricultural, institutional and cultural contexts.
To support this process, the LiveSeeding project analysed existing national plans to identify best practices and formulate recommendations for Member States that have not yet established such plans. In addition, LiveSeeding facilitated annual cross-country exchanges among competent authorities, creating opportunities to share experiences, challenges and practical solutions.
Sound knowledge of organic seed supply is essential for effective national strategies and monitoring progress toward policy objectives. Transparent, comparable and comprehensive data empower farmers, seed producers, breeders, certifiers and policymakers to make informed decisions, allocate resources strategically and set realistic targets. To address these challenges, LiveSeeding analysed the organic seed supply for several crops and in multiple European countries, and developed tools to improve the monitoring and accessibility of information on organic seed availability and use. These included the Seeds4Organic (S4O) EU router database and OHMTrack, which support data collection, transparency and knowledge exchange across the sector.
In parallel, recognising that Organic Heterogeneous Material (OHM) represents a new category introduced under the EU Organic Regulation, LiveSeeding produced reports and practical recommendations to support competent authorities in the implementation of the OHM regulatory framework.
The activities presented in this booklet form part of the "Enable" dimension of the broader LiveSeeding Push-Pull-Enable methodology supporting the transition towards greater use of organic seed and plant reproductive material (PRM) across Europe. LiveSeeding contributed through policy briefs, technical recommendations, monitoring tools, and direct support of competent authorities in implementing the existing regulatory framework.
The project developed practical tools and guidance used by authorities, seed suppliers and other market actors, including the Seeds4Organic (S4O) platform, the OHMTrack software and recommendations for national roadmap development. Through cross-country exchanges, technical workshops and policy discussions, LiveSeeding created new opportunities for knowledge sharing and coordination among Member States working towards the gradual reduction of derogations for nonorganic seed use.