Franziska Achterberg, Author at Agricultural and Rural Convention

EU Deal on GMO Deregulation: Hiding GMO Food While Claiming Patent Rights

December 16, 2025 Franziska Achterberg

On 4 December, EU negotiators reached an agreement to deregulate plants engineered with new genomic techniques. In this op-ed, Franziska Achterberg of Save Our Seeds argues that the deal dismantles key elements of EU GMO law for a broad category of genetically modified plants rebranded as “conventional-like” and granted patent rights. While the agreement still awaits final approval, Achterberg sets out why it should be rejected. […]

Op Ed | Big Ag Pushes Lawmakers to Roll Back Consumer Rights

May 7, 2025 Franziska Achterberg

In advance of the first trilogue meeting on “new genomic techniques” that took place this week, the industry launched a statement against GMO labelling. Only the Parliament, not the Council nor the Commission, want consumer labelling of new GM products. Op-ed by Franziska Achterberg, Head of Policy and Advocacy at Save Our Seeds. […]

The Green Tripartite Agreement Locks in Industrial Ag and Biotech Solutionism

November 26, 2024 Franziska Achterberg

The Danish Green Tripartite could lock in the existing industrial farming system, based on the promises of questionable (bio)technologies. Denmark’s farming system needs a structural transformation and the use of GMOs should be tightly regulated to prevent further ecological damage. As it stands, this Agreement will do nothing to transform the farming sector in Denmark to a truly sustainable model. By June Rebekka Bresson (Noah, Denmark) and Franziska Achterberg (SOS, Germany). […]