Congressman Greg Casar (D-TX) introduced the Fair Seeds for Farmers Act this week, targeting what he calls corporate abuse of seed patents that is squeezing family farms and driving up food costs for everyone.
Casar joined Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) in introducing the legislation, which aims to curb the growing control a small number of large multinational corporations have over the seeds American farmers need to grow crops.
Through broad patent claims and the threat of costly lawsuits, these companies can effectively dictate what farmers plant and require them to purchase specific products year after year, rather than saving and reusing seeds as farmers have done for generations.
"Every working American knows that groceries are just too expensive," Casar said. "By abusing seed patents, big ag companies are putting family farms out of business and driving up the price of food for everyone else."
What the Bill Tackles
The bill would tackle the problem in three main ways.
First, it would limit how broadly seeds can be patented, restricting protections to what is already available under existing plant variety and patent laws.
Second, it would prevent companies from using contracts to stop farmers and researchers from breeding, saving, or experimenting with seeds.
Third, it would establish clearer legal definitions around plant breeding to prevent companies from making overreaching intellectual property claims.
The changes would apply to future and pending patents while leaving existing ones in place.
What People are Saying
Agriculture advocates and farming organizations have backed the legislation, arguing that corporate consolidation in the seed industry has reduced crop diversity, weakened the food system's resilience, and made food more expensive at every level from the farm to the grocery store.
As part of a broader effort for Casar, it falls within the Congressional Progressive Caucus's New Affordability Agenda, a package of proposals designed to address rising costs by taking on corporate interests that he argues have made essential goods harder for working families to afford.
McGovern put it plainly: “We have a system right now in this country where corporate giants are pocketing massive profits—ripping off farmers and in turn ripping off families buying food at the grocery store."
