NAIROBI, Kenya — The High Court ruled Nov. 27 that provisions of the country’s 2012 Seed and Plant Varieties Act that criminalized saving and sharing uncertified seed were unconstitutional, restoring seed-sharing practices for smallholder farmers, Jan. 15, 2026.
The decision comes as Australia prepares to expand right to repair protections for agricultural machinery and San Francisco presses a first-of-its-kind lawsuit over ultra-processed foods, underscoring a growing push to rebalance power between consumers and major manufacturers.
Kenya court restores seed sharing
For years, farmers faced penalties of up to two years in prison and a 1 million Kenyan-shilling fine for sharing seed through community seed banks under the seed law, according to news reports. The ruling followed a petition filed by smallholder farmers in 2022 arguing the law favored commercial seed producers and treated traditional seed systems as criminal activity.
Reuters reported that farmer Samuel Kioko called the decision a “great victory,” saying it will help communities keep planting familiar, drought-resistant local varieties. Another petitioner described the decision as a vindication of generational practice: “My grandmother saved seeds, and today the court has said I can do the same for my grandchildren,” he said.
The dispute has simmered for years, with critics arguing that efforts to control counterfeit seeds can also tighten corporate leverage over what farmers plant. A 2022 Kenya News Agency article captured that tension, warning that restrictive rules could deepen dependence on multinationals and price smallholders out of certified seed markets.
Australia moves to expand right to repair for farm machinery
In Australia, the federal government has committed to extending right to repair reforms to agricultural machinery as part of a broader productivity and competition agenda. The pledge was included in a Treasury statement issued after a meeting of federal, state and territory treasurers.
In a separate joint media release from Agriculture Minister Julie Collins’ office, the government framed the move as a way to unlock repair information for independent workshops and reduce costly downtime during harvest. The release cited Productivity Commission modeling that estimated a $97 million annual GDP lift through reduced downtime, and included support from farm groups calling the policy shift “landmark.”
Backers say the next fight is over implementation: whether expanded right to repair rules will deliver timely access to diagnostic data, manuals and tools for modern, software-controlled equipment — without forcing farmers to rely solely on authorized dealer networks when breakdowns hit.
The push is not new. A Guardian report in early 2025 documented farmers’ complaints that increasingly digital tractors and harvesters can’t be fixed quickly without manufacturer-approved tools and access — a storyline now shaping what Australia’s expanded right to repair framework could look like in practice.
San Francisco lawsuit targets ultra-processed foods
In the United States, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu filed suit in San Francisco Superior Court against leading manufacturers of ultra-processed foods — including Kraft Heinz, Mondelez, Post, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, General Mills, Nestle USA, Kellogg, Mars and ConAgra — alleging the industry knowingly made and marketed products that harm health. In the city’s announcement, Chiu said, “These companies created a public health crisis” through how ultra-processed foods are engineered and marketed.
According to Reuters, the city is seeking civil penalties and court-ordered limits on deceptive marketing. Industry groups have pushed back, arguing there is “no agreed upon” scientific definition of ultra-processed foods and warning against treating “processed” as a shortcut for “harmful.”
Public-health scrutiny of ultra-processed foods has been building for years. A 2019 Guardian roundup highlighted early large-scale studies linking higher ultra-processed food consumption to higher cardiovascular risk and premature death — research that continues to shape policy debates as lawsuits begin testing how those risks translate into legal claims.
While the three disputes span different industries, they share a common question: when products become locked down, too complex, or too aggressively promoted, governments and courts are increasingly asked to redraw the rules of access — including the modern right to repair debate over who can fix what they own.
