I've just been reading an article in the latest Royal Horticultural Society Magazine and it seems that the members of the European Parliament are trying to ban a fundamental part of what we,as gardeners,love to do and that is to keep and share seeds Apparently it took a huge outcry to get them to make exemptions which included home gardeners,gene banks and tiny seed companies. However the rest of the bill continues its way through the system and still contains plans for a framework to regulate the propagation of all plant material-of course this means that they can then make money from licences and fees to keep plants on official lists of recognised and registered plants.The end result could be restricted types of seeds and bland,homogenous plants We need to be contacting our MEPs and voice our concerns and not let the big multinationals drown out our voices in their pursuit of profit. OK,I'll step off my soapbox now
Unfortunately it is true worldwide. YouTube has way too many articles...just type in "seeds" and "India" or "Monsanto". Here is a John Stewart short on a bill passed in congress this last April affecting US food and wondering how it happened http://youtu.be/2K4pfiYK2IQ Kissinger: "Control oil and you control nations; control food and you control the people."
OMG don't they have anything better to do with their time and our money. We need to start cutting or withholding their pay checks. It is a sad thing how the gov controls so much they should have no say in. :-x
This is a subject I could rant on about for a good while. Just know that the majority of the government councils and officials working in agriculture and having authority to write legislation and law by bureaucratic fiat, use the revolving door of government service to big ag and back. Whom did they work for before taking a position in that portion of government? Whom will they work for after leaving government? Whose interest do they truly represent? Grow open pollinated varieties, buy food grown from open pollinated varieties. Avoid chemicals and synthetic fertilizers. Monsanto, ADM, IBF, and et al, are in bed together with their federal, state, and national governing agencies. They are great evil. Just sayin'.
I'm sure that the big names that you mentioned will be behind a lot of the lobbying on this side of the pond as well...
My thoughts exactly, Kiasmum! This rather ludicrous piece of legislative "genius" ( ) was in the news here some months ago. I remember thinking it was so ridiculous I wasn't sure if I should laugh or cry. Each time you think Brussels can't come up with anything worse, they do just that
