Save Our Seeds was founded in 2002 as the Berlin office of the Foundation on Future Farming, a branch of GLS Treuhand e.V.
Zero tolerance for GMO contamination
More than two decades ago, Benedikt Haerlin, the head of our Berlin office, initiated a Europe-wide campaign to keep seeds free from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The European Commission had proposed that ‘adventitious and technically unavoidable’ contamination of seeds with GMOs could be acceptable at levels between 0.3% and 0.7%. However, the introduction of such limits would have led to the gradual contamination of all seeds — and, by extension, our food — undermining the foundation of GMO-free agriculture.
In response, Save Our Seeds became the leading ‘centre of expertise’ for civil society movements opposing GMOs in Europe. We also became the key point of contact for politicians, companies, regional governments, and the media. On 14 October 2002, we submitted a memorandum to the European Commission.
Our call for a ‘purity law for seeds’ was backed by over 300,000 individuals and more than 300 organisations representing over 25 million members across all EU member states, as well as companies and institutions. Initially met with ridicule, the ‘zero tolerance’ policy we championed has since become the official policy of the EU and its member states.
Further activities
Over the years, Save Our Seeds has expanded its work to include a wide range of initiatives related to genetic engineering, GMO-free agriculture, seeds, sustainable farming, and food sovereignty. Notable efforts include the Bantam maize campaign and the establishment of an information platform on GMO issues, Informationsdienst Gentechnik.
Since 2009, Save Our Seeds has also worked to raise awareness of the UN and World Bank’s World Agriculture Report, on whose supervisory board Benedikt Haerlin has served since 2003. This effort led to the creation of the Meine Landwirtschaft campaign in 2011, which aimed to reform the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy and its Europe-wide counterpart, the Agricultural and Rural Convention 2020 (Arc2020).
As part of the 2000m² project, Save Our Seeds explored how the 2000 square metres of arable land available per person on Earth could be used. We continue to coordinate the international ‘Weltacker’ movement.