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MANILA, Philippines — A nongovernmental organization is urging the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to exclude a provision on protecting new plant varieties in the ongoing trade negotiations between the European Union and the Philippines.
The Southeast Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment (Searice) is pushing for the exclusion of the plant variety protection (PVP) provision in the free trade agreement (FTA) between both parties, as this will significantly impact the livelihood of smallholder farmers.
Searice said the government should reject attempts to introduce the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) in the EU-PH trade accord and future trade deals.
READ: Philippines to finalize free trade agreement with EU
