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Farmers rights to save their seed threatened

I would like to inform your readers of a public meeting to be held at Bluffton Hall on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m.

Dear Editor,

I would like to inform your readers of a public meeting to be held at Bluffton Hall on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. The meeting will present information on the threat posed to farmers and growers by the Federal Omnibus Bill C-18 currently before Parliament.

As guest columnist Jan Slomp explained in the Rimbey Review (page 4, January 28th edition) farmers have little to gain and a lot to lose from Bill C-18. The adoption of UPOV ’91 would speed the demise of the long established and successful public plant breeding system in Canada in favor of a privatized, corporate controlled model. A farmers “right” to retain and use seed from a crop he has grown on his own land would be removed. He would instead be granted a mere “privilege” to retain and use the seed - a privilege which could be withdrawn by Government at any time without any public consultation.

This would force farmers to buy new seed every year which in itself would increase their input costs, but coupled with the reduced seed supply this would allow seed companies to increase prices exponentially. We only have to look to the canola sector where patented seed for the glyphosate tolerant (RR) varieties costs over $500 a bushel compared to a farmer’s selling price of canola of around $10 a bushel.

By comparison, barley seed typically costs $8 a bushel yet the farmer can get around $4 for selling the barley he produces from that seed. No wonder the seed companies are lobbying to bring about these changes!

The new legislation, if passed, would not only affect the grain and oilseed sector but would extend to all seed including forages. A farmer or rancher seeding timothy or alfalfa could potentially be charged an “end point royalty” by the seed company every time he harvests a hay crop.

If these proposed changes concern you or you want to find out more I urge you to attend our meeting. Although this meeting is being organized by the National Farmers Union it is open to everyone from farmers to consumers.

Iain Aitken

Rimbey