diff --git a/gnu/local.mk b/gnu/local.mk
index 7c970dc47c..d87d0b598d 100644
--- a/gnu/local.mk
+++ b/gnu/local.mk
@@ -657,7 +657,6 @@ dist_patch_DATA =						\
   %D%/packages/patches/deja-dup-use-ref-keyword-for-iter.patch	\
   %D%/packages/patches/dfu-programmer-fix-libusb.patch		\
   %D%/packages/patches/diffutils-gets-undeclared.patch		\
-  %D%/packages/patches/diffutils-getopt.patch			\
   %D%/packages/patches/docbook-xsl-nonrecursive-string-subst.patch	\
   %D%/packages/patches/doc++-include-directives.patch		\
   %D%/packages/patches/doc++-segfault-fix.patch			\
diff --git a/gnu/packages/base.scm b/gnu/packages/base.scm
index d4d3317b98..aa85662a0c 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/base.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/base.scm
@@ -245,16 +245,16 @@ (define-public patch
 (define-public diffutils
   (package
    (name "diffutils")
-   (version "3.6")
+   (version "3.7")
    (source (origin
             (method url-fetch)
             (uri (string-append "mirror://gnu/diffutils/diffutils-"
                                 version ".tar.xz"))
             (sha256
              (base32
-              "1mivg0fy3a6fcn535ln8nkgfj6vxh5hsxxs5h6692wxmsjyyh8fn"))
-            (patches (search-patches "diffutils-getopt.patch"))))
+              "09isrg0isjinv8c535nxsi1s86wfdfzml80dbw41dj9x3hiad9xk"))))
    (build-system gnu-build-system)
+   (native-inputs `(("perl" ,perl)))
    (synopsis "Comparing and merging files")
    (description
     "GNU Diffutils is a package containing tools for finding the
diff --git a/gnu/packages/commencement.scm b/gnu/packages/commencement.scm
index dc05e047d1..79246a0c5d 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/commencement.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/commencement.scm
@@ -1430,6 +1430,7 @@ (define diffutils-boot0
                                           #:guile %bootstrap-guile)))
      (package (inherit p)
        (name "diffutils-boot0")
+       (native-inputs `())
        (arguments `(#:tests? #f         ; the test suite needs diffutils
                     ,@(package-arguments p)))))))
 
diff --git a/gnu/packages/patches/diffutils-getopt.patch b/gnu/packages/patches/diffutils-getopt.patch
deleted file mode 100644
index 05c2504adf..0000000000
--- a/gnu/packages/patches/diffutils-getopt.patch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,44 +0,0 @@
-commit e3461d1c21a99bcef1b8826f710434e0ffb5adea
-Author: Paul Eggert <eggert@cs.ucla.edu>
-Date:   Sun Jun 11 15:53:09 2017 -0700
-
-    getopt-posix: port to glibc 2.25.90
-    
-    Problem reported by Daniel P. Berrange in:
-    http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-gnulib/2017-06/msg00003.html
-    * lib/getopt-pfx-core.h (_GETOPT_CORE_H):
-    * lib/getopt-pfx-ext.h (_GETOPT_EXT_H):
-    #undef if __GETOPT_PREFIX is defined.
-
-diff --git a/lib/getopt-pfx-core.h b/lib/getopt-pfx-core.h
-index 155c11612..6ad0da683 100644
---- a/lib/getopt-pfx-core.h
-+++ b/lib/getopt-pfx-core.h
-@@ -47,6 +47,11 @@
- # define opterr __GETOPT_ID (opterr)
- # define optind __GETOPT_ID (optind)
- # define optopt __GETOPT_ID (optopt)
-+
-+/* The system's getopt.h may have already included getopt-core.h to
-+   declare the unprefixed identifiers.  Undef _GETOPT_CORE_H so that
-+   getopt-core.h declares them with prefixes.  */
-+# undef _GETOPT_CORE_H
- #endif
- 
- #include <getopt-core.h>
-diff --git a/lib/getopt-pfx-ext.h b/lib/getopt-pfx-ext.h
-index d960bb34e..c5ac52202 100644
---- a/lib/getopt-pfx-ext.h
-+++ b/lib/getopt-pfx-ext.h
-@@ -45,6 +45,11 @@
- # define getopt_long_only __GETOPT_ID (getopt_long_only)
- # define option __GETOPT_ID (option)
- # define _getopt_internal __GETOPT_ID (getopt_internal)
-+
-+/* The system's getopt.h may have already included getopt-ext.h to
-+   declare the unprefixed identifiers.  Undef _GETOPT_EXT_H so that
-+   getopt-ext.h declares them with prefixes.  */
-+# undef _GETOPT_EXT_H
- #endif
- 
- /* Standalone applications get correct prototypes for getopt_long and