(Saskatoon, SK):<\/b>\u00a0 Bill C-18, the\u00a0Agricultural Growth Act,\u00a0<\/i>favours further consolidation of the seed industry into a few corporate hands, which will end up costing farmers more for seeds of all types.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government is selling the ag omnibus legislation as \u2018the only way\u2019 to provide the new plant varieties that farmers need to maintain their competitive advantage,\u201d says Terry Boehm, Chair of the NFU\u2019s Seed and Trade Committee. \u201cWe \u2013 and many other farmers and progressive thinkers in the world \u2013 know that there are other ways to ensure that farmers have access to new seed varieties in ways that do not compromise either our national sovereignty or our control over seeds and, therefore, over our food.\u201d<\/p>\n
The NFU has put forward\u00a0\u201cFundamental Principles for a Farmers\u2019 Seed Act\u201d<\/i>\u00a0(attached) which recognizes the inherent rights of farmers to save, reuse, select, exchange and sell seeds, while protecting public domains related to plant seeds. The principles build on Canada\u2019s 2002 signing of the\u00a0International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture,\u00a0<\/i><\/b>by which farmers would retain their \u201ccustomary\u201d use of seed.<\/p>\n
Boehm asserts one reason only for agribusiness\u2019s pursuit of these legislative changes, especially implementation of UPOV \u201991, a much more restrictive intellectual property rights protection regime than what is now in place. \u201cUPOV \u201991 is a way to transfer enormous amounts of money from farmers\u2019 pockets into corporate coffers,\u201d he argued.<\/p>\n
Boehm outlined the NFU\u2019s Farmers\u2019 Seed Act (see attached backgrounder), which assures the right to exchange and sell, as well as clean, treat and store seed. \u201cFarmers \u2013 in fact Canadians \u2013 cannot allow giant corporations to take control of our seed resources,\u201d said Boehm. \u201cThose who control seed control food, and as a sovereign nation we must ensure that control of seed and food is protected in the public interest. The NFU Farmers Seed Act will make a major contribution to that goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Act\u2019s principles address the full spectrum of activities involved in ensuring Canada\u2019s sovereignty in the area of seeds \u2013 from reproduction, saving, storing and re-using to cleaning and treating; from variety registration to third-party dispute settlement mechanisms; as well as restrictions on royalty claims, among others. \u201cCanadians have lost a lot over the last two years,\u201d notes Boehm. \u201cResearch budgets have been gutted. Canada\u2019s world-recognized research programs have been torn apart. Agencies with the specific role of balancing power relationships among farmers and giant international agri-businesses have been weakened or dismantled, while corporations have been given carte blanche over the seed industry and thus our food system.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis \u201cFarmers\u2019 Seed Act\u201d, which is based on principles that serve public rather than private interests, is a rallying point for farmer and eater alike,\u201d emphasized Boehm. \u201cAll Canadians can stand behind its principles. By calling for our elected officials to act on these principles, we give a strong message about the kind of Canada we want \u2013 a Canada that is sovereign in regard to seed and food,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(Saskatoon, SK):\u00a0 Bill C-18, the\u00a0Agricultural Growth Act,\u00a0favours further consolidation of the seed industry into a few corporate hands, which will end up costing farmers more for seeds of all types. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n