種苗法改正案、衆院通過　ブランド果樹の保護強化へ

　ブランド果樹など農作物新品種の海外流出防止を目的とした種苗法改正案が１９日の衆院本会議で、賛成多数で可決された。参院審議を経て、開会中の臨時国会で成立する見込み。
　改正案は、高級ブドウの苗木などが中国や韓国に相次いで流出していることを受け、開発者が栽培地を国内または特定の都道府県に限定し、新品種の保護強化を図るのが狙い。農家が収穫物から種子を採取して翌シーズンの生産に使う「自家増殖」にも制限を設け、第三者に種苗が渡るリスクを抑える。
　改正案を審議した衆院農林水産委員会は、自家増殖の制限が農業経営を圧迫しないよう、種苗が適正価格で安定的に供給される施策の実行を政府に求める付帯決議を採択している。（2020/11/19-14:36）

Japan's House of Representatives passed on Thursday a bill to prevent brand fruits and other newly developed plant varieties from being taken abroad.
   The bill to revise the plant variety protection and seed law was approved by a majority vote at a plenary meeting of the lower chamber of the Diet, the country's parliament.
   The legislation is expected to be enacted during the ongoing extraordinary Diet session, after passing deliberations by the House of Councillors, the upper chamber. The current Diet session will run through Dec. 5.
   As luxury grape saplings and other plants have made their way into South Korea and China without permission, Japan hopes to beef up protection against newly developed plant varieties by having developers limit the cultivation of such plants to Japan or a particular prefecture in the country.
   Japan also aims to reduce the risk of the seeds and saplings being given to a third party by restricting the use of seeds that domestic farmers collect from new varieties they harvest.