Posted February 1, 2019
After mass opposition, Syngenta has withdrawn its patent on tomatoes. As a consequence, the European Patent Office (EPO) now has officially revoked patent EP1515600. In its patent Syngenta claimed tomato seeds, plants and fruits as its invention. However, all of these actually originate from crossings with tomato plants discovered in Peru and Chile, which supposedly have a higher vitamin content. The plants are not genetically engineered but are derived from conventional breeding. 65,000 individuals from 59 countries and 32 organizations participated in the opposition. Read more.