Agriculture should conserve, rather than endanger natural resources and ecological balance. Seeds, whether bred genetically or conventionally to be resistant against pesticide, may cause particular harm for the environment when they are introduced to virgin ecological systems. Plants bred for resistance will only work in conjunction with specifically adjusted pesticides. Thus, farmers are often forced to use specific pesticides produced by monopolistic companies. This constraint will lead to a direct dependence on the owners of rights of seeds and pesticides. We reject this forced combination of seeds and pesticides and their protection through patents.

PIRATES oppose the allocation of public money in the form of agricultural subsidies without reciprocal contributions in sectors such as the protection of climate, environment, nature, animals and biodiversity. If subsidies are granted at all, effects in terms of potential benefits and added value for consumers and society must be regularly evaluated and grants adjusted accordingly - at both EU and national level. Our long-term goal is to abolish all agricultural subsidies. In order to protect agri-businesses against sudden elimination, decreasing adjustment should be applied over a transition-period, while payments are being limited to a decent amount per individual farmer.

I) Agricultural Subsidies (further discussion necessary)

Potential conflicts of removing all subsidies with policies to support local food production and consumption should be explored.

We have doubts about this point being related with our core vaules and we forsee that it might be quite polemical among our bases, so we would recommend removing it or, if it is related to core pirate values, clarify better in which way.

1.11, 1.12 & 1.13 agricultural policy, social policy and economic and financial policy Remove everything on agricultural policy, social policy and economic and financial policy.