---
title: "Notice on the Legality of Exchanging Seeds"
slug: "seeds"
weight: 4
translationKey: "legal-seeds"
---


**Version 1.0 — 13 July 2026**

Tane helps people keep and share traditional seeds. Laws about seeds differ a lot
between countries, and they distinguish sharply between **giving or swapping** seeds
and **selling** them. This notice is general information, not legal advice; you are
responsible for following the law where you live and where your seeds are going.

## Gifting and swapping between amateurs

Exchanging seeds **without commercial purpose** — gifts, swaps, seed libraries,
conservation networks — is broadly recognized and lawful in most places:

- **European Union.** EU seed marketing law regulates *commercial marketing* of seed.
  Exchange in kind between individuals, and the work of conservation networks and gene
  banks, fall outside or are expressly exempted; the plant-reproductive-material reform
  underway (proposal COM(2023) 414) keeps exemptions for amateurs and conservation
  networks, provided the activity is not commercial.
- **Spain.** Ley 30/2006 regulates the *commercial* seed trade; non-commercial exchange
  between amateurs and conservation-oriented exchange are recognized practice (art. 24).
- **United States.** Following the 2016 amendment to the Recommended Uniform State Seed
  Law, most states exempt **non-commercial seed sharing** (seed libraries, swaps) from
  commercial labeling and testing requirements.

## Selling seeds

Selling is different. In the EU and many other jurisdictions, **marketing seed of
varieties not registered in an official catalogue may be restricted or prohibited**,
and quantities, labeling, or species may be regulated even for small sellers.
Exemptions for conservation varieties and amateur quantities exist but vary. If you
use Tane's option to ask a price, **check your national rules first** — the app cannot
do this for you.

## Protected varieties

Varieties covered by **plant variety rights (PVR/PBR) or patents** may not be
propagated or sold without the holder's authorization — this can apply even to seed
you bought legally. Traditional and heirloom varieties are generally not protected,
but modern commercial varieties usually are. When in doubt, don't offer it.

## Sending seeds across borders

Most countries restrict importing seeds: **phytosanitary certificates**, prohibited
species lists, and quarantine rules commonly apply — even to small envelopes between
individuals, and also **within** the EU for certain species (plant passport rules).
Before mailing seeds to another country, check the rules of the destination country.
The safest exchanges are local ones — which is what Tane is designed for.

## Invasive and protected species

Some species may not be exchanged at all in some regions, either because they are
**invasive** there or because they are **protected**. Lists are regional; check yours.

---

*Tane takes no commission, mediates no transaction, and verifies no offer: exchanges
are private dealings between the people involved (see the
[Terms of use](terms-of-use.md)). This notice exists so those dealings are informed
ones.*
