Does anyone know about a collection of hundreds of named rhubarb’s a man in France has? Popular with French gourmets, but the EU has tried to force him to destroy the collection, he ignored them and refused.
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Does his dispute with the EU amount to a rhubarb or a donnybrook?
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It was something to do with EU standardizing a limited amount of commercial types favored by the giant corporations. Everything else to be eliminated. Reminded me of Monsanto bullshit. He was threatened with EU thought-police and huge fines and he resisted it all. Last I heard he still had the massive collection. 
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sounds like the good folks on here ought to throw some money that way to help him out. if you get a contact Randy post it on here. ill send him a donation for some seeds.
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maybe mrsg could help you in the search. Shes in France.
Sounds like something from a British tabloid during the Brexit push. Very difficult to believe there is any truth to that. Having said that, the EU does enforce some “CPVR” limits on plants that work like patents. Sort of like how in the US some apple varieties are protected and not everyone can grow them.
No, I don’t follow tabloid, mainstream, lamestream news. It’s the same EU rules that tried to wipe out small producers of specialized cheeses especially in southern Europe. They got around the rules by posting signs: FOR ANIMALS ONLY, NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION! 
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I should have added the EU rules apply to vegetables SOLD in the EU, personal use does not apply. But what else is someone with many hectares of hundreds of rhubarb types to do? Of course he sells…
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I just googled the info in France. It would be so much easier with a name. Or town. Do you know where he lives?
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No more information than that, just a recollection of the story from several years ago when EU Brussels started throwing its weight around. And photos of this HUGE farm plot of nothing but rhubarb!
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This has nothing to do with British tabloids.
It has nothing to do with Britain’s escape from the EU.
It has nothing to do with illegal growing of protected plant varieties.
This is about the EU’s attempt to restrict growing some varieties of non-protected plants in order to obtain monopolies for the largest EU seed companies.
This is not just about rhubarb. The EU has been actively trying destroy other plant and seed collections. I have not seen articles about this problem in a few years and it appears that older articles have been purged by Google.
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That’s exactly what I was understanding! All vegetables.
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Maybe you are thinking of this? It’s the same sort of thing happening all over the world in many sectors.
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Totalitarian agriculture, scary. Reminded me of when Bt was gene-spliced into corn and spread into indigenous corn, worldwide.
Good read!
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None of this stuff affects private growers like most of us though, at least not directly. The rules are about commercial production/sales to commercial growers.
La rhubarbe, une passion…
Depuis une vingtaine d’année, Mathieu Vermes cultive de la rhubarbe en plein champ dans la Somme, à Saint-Riquier. Grâce à de nombreux voyages et à sa passion pour la rhubarbe, il possède actuellement une collection de 100 variétés différentes. Une quinzaine d’entre elles peuvent être cultivées et possèdent des aspects, textures assez intriguantes. Actuellement, la production annuelle peut atteindre 25 T par année grâce à des rhubarbes productives et vigoureuses.
Du potager à l’assiette…
La rhubarbe est un légume qui s’utilise comme un fruit et chaque variété a sa spécificité…Sirops, confitures, vins, pâtisseries, compotes, jus ou encore la fameuse tarte à la rhubarbe, tout le monde peut s’y retrouver ! De l’acidité à une douceur stupéfiante, la rhubarbe peut être étonnante. Le coeur de la chair est principalement vert… Mais pas seulement, la rhubarbe dotée d’une chair rosée et rouge existe. A vous de choisir…
Des variétés distinctives…
La variété la plus précoce ? Mikoot, dotée d’une chair verte
La variété la plus tardive ? Livingstone, la rhubarbe de Noel
La variété la plus généreuse ? Grand Mums, précoce et productive
Click and hold until the entire post turns blue then click on translate
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Great detective work, Mrs. G! I found a brief Youtube video (in French) featuring him—from about a decade ago.
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BINGO! That’s him, I couldn’t get your post to translate but with name and town name a web search brought it all up! Good Job, mrsg47
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translation:
Rhubarb, a passion… For twenty years, Mathieu Vermes has been growing rhubarb in open fields in the Somme, in Saint-Riquier. Thanks to many trips and his passion for rhubarb, he currently has a collection of 100 different varieties. About fifteen of them can be cultivated and have quite intriguing aspects and textures. Currently, the annual production can reach 25 T per year thanks to productive and vigorous rhubarbs. From the vegetable garden to the plate… Rhubarb is a vegetable that is used like a fruit and each variety has its specificity… Syrups, jams, wines, pastries, compotes, juices or even the famous rhubarb tart, everyone can meet there! From tartness to mind-boggling sweetness, rhubarb can be amazing. The heart of the flesh is mainly green… But not only, rhubarb with pink and red flesh exists. The choice is yours… Distinctive varieties… The earliest variety? Mikoot, with green flesh The latest variety? Livingstone, Christmas rhubarb The most generous variety? Grand Mums, early and productive
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Thanks!
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