In the depths of winter, family farmers (and gardeners) usually begin thinking about what crops to sow come late spring. By March and April the seed stored, or purchased after perusing seed catalogues, are part of the equation.
It all begins with seed. Seed, and who controls it, has become increasingly contentious ground in recent decades. Without it, not much else can happen in the field and on the table!
I have written about seed rights, Seedy Saturdays, and Seeds of Diversity and how urbanites are hot on the trail of older varieties to try to ensure seed quality, heritage, and tasty garden harvests. Organic farmers, among others, are keen to try to ensure that decisions related to seed varieties, whether common seed or pedigreed seed, remain in the hands of the farmer.
Organic farmers need access to seed that has not been gene-edited or genetically modified, for example. And organic farmers often depend on local seed that might be shared between organic farmers — seed saved and shared because of qualities that make it resilient to the vagaries of regional climates. Organic farmers may also depend on accessing the diversity provided by much older varieties.
Engaged farmers, besides selecting seed for spring planting, have also been busy filling out forms and voicing concerns as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) undertakes a major review of its regulations. Concerns are over the regulation of pedigreed seed and common seed and the impacts of potential changes.
There is now an information campaign, undertaken by the National Farmers Union (NFU), to encourage farmers to voice their opinions regarding changes that the CFIA is considering related to the regulations around seed.
The NFU states, via its online information:
“Multinational seed and chemical companies have their own ideas about what this review should do. If their input is not countered by farmers, the review could bring in major changes that make seed more expensive and less accessible for farmers, may harm the public interest, and weaken agriculture in Canada.”
Farmers have until May 1 to be heard, and the apprehension is that no matter how serious farmers’ concerns are, the CFIA will advance support for corporations in the seed industry. They are making far-reaching decisions that could over time reduce diversity of seed, reduce access to common seed varieties not deemed profitable, reduce the ability for farmers to save public domain seed on their farms and, overtime, deregister important pedigreed varieties and potentially introduce GMO seed into the system. Many family farmers, along with consumers, have longstanding campaigns to prevent GMO food products from entering the Canadian market.
The story behind corporations, such as Monsanto (now owned by Bayer), among others, to try to gain control over seed is a long one. The legal struggles of Percy Schmeiser and the right of farmers to save seed is one example — one that has even been retold by Hollywood through the movie Percy.
Plant Breeders Rights (PBR) was first introduced into law in Canada in 1990. Though there was opposition for many years to the introduction of this law, in the end the legislation was passed and PBR came into effect. Essentially Plant Breeders Rights allows the patenting of seed by developers, usually transnational corporations, who claim that a new seed variety is their property and that those using the seed to grow a crop must pay royalties. It is a form of copyright, if you like, but on seed. Never mind that the original seed used by these transnationals to develop the new variety originated in the public domain. Since 1990, and Canada’s signing on to PBR and UPOV’91, restrictions on who can use seed, save seed, and the royalties paid, have evolved — or devolved, better said.
The CFIA process is important to farmers and eaters (aka food consumers) since who controls seed essentially controls seed supply, quality of seed, transparency of seed quality, diversity, and ultimately access to public-domain seed. Basically – if you control seed you control the farmer, and food production basically. So, in the end you control what consumers eat.
Given that climate change is testing agricultural practices and food production everywhere, the importance of seed cannot be overstated. Already farmers are challenged by having to pay royalties on some seed varieties through Plant Breeders Rights.
This guide, prepared by the NFU on the major review of seed regulations in Canada being undertaken by CFIA can help us all understand the issues at hand.
It states: “The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)’s major review of Canada’s Seeds Regulations could result in far-reaching changes to our seed system. Our seed regulations build, maintain, and protect the value of Canadian agricultural products for farmers and end-users with an evidence-based and transparent variety registration process. They ensure farmers can easily get relevant and meaningful information about the seed they use. Canada’s current seed regulations also respect farmers’ ability to use farm saved seed and to exchange or sell public domain seed to each other as common seed.”
Spring and seeding… on the surface it seems so simple. These are the fundamentals of food production in Canada. Both farmers and eaters need to take note.
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