Genetic Resources (Hansard, 25 November 1992)

§ Mr. Dafis
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to ensure that intellectual property rights should not be extended to genetic resources except in accordance with the international undertaking on plant genetic resources.

§ Mr. Curry
It is already the Department's policy to oppose the extension of intellectual property rights to plant genetic resources.

§ Mr. Dafis
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action is currently being undertaken by his Department to persuade other countries to join(a) the Commission on Plant Genetic Resources and (b) the international undertaking on plant genetic resources.

§ Mr. Curry
The Government continue to argue for increased international collaboration on the conservation of plant genetic resources, in the context of the Food and Agriculture Organisation's commission and international undertaking and in other international forums.

§ Mr. Dafis
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to encourage the adoption of formal national plant genetic resources programmes throughout the world.

§ Mr. Curry
The Government, through the Overseas Development Administration, are a major funder of the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources and supports the international centres in the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. The United Kingdom is also active in the European co-operative programme on crop genetic resources and we shall continue to participate in international efforts to establish networks of ex-situ plant genetic resource collections.