Seed Tax - is this a "toe in the water?"

[TOM4CWB]

Whether it realizes it or not, SeCan, with the help of the Grain Growers of Canada and the Western Canadian Wheat Growers, is helping to turn total control over the seed supply to the private companies. They all need to be boycotted this spring.

Riley500,

I will pass this along to Secan.

My thoughts:

I have been a CSGA pedigreed seed grower for over 40 years. Out rouging seed fields since 1972.

I have worked tirelessly to retain the farmer right to control our seeds... CSTA/Seed companies apparently do not appreciate the farmers rights to control the seeds they grow[especially in western Canada]... nor do the Seed 'industry' accept the right of farmer seed growers to refuse to be bought off with their empty promises. The National Seed Organization [NSO] is a flawed attempt to steal the control of seed production away from western Canadian farmers by the Seed Industry.

Any industry can 'weaponize' just about any good intention... which SVUA trailing royalties enforced by contracts... particularly on AAFC/public bred varieties that have a large contribution from Canadian or provincial taxpayers and western Canadian farmers alike...
Are the most offensive breach of ethics... Limagrain/private bred varieties are different being outside the public plant breeding infrastructure.

Much to think about... we are at a crossroads on control of our seeds. Western Canada especially with cereals and pulses... are under attack.

[sumdumguy]

Farmers need to join the Wet chiefs on the tracks, otherwise we are a distant voice in the dark.

[bucket]

Farm reps seen what the indigenous people have got for attention and money .....and the farm groups are all against protesting....

The farm groups sit around waiting to talk...to ignorant government Ag ministers....

Duh ....the reps say....what should we do Todd....Duh ....I don't know...wait for some vaseline. ...

Farmers have lost millions and are going to be taken to the cleaners with the seed tax....and they are not talking to the Ag ministers...

[bucket]

Sumdum and bucket what yous waiting for ??

Go protest !

The WCWGA and APAS people will probably show up to give me a stern talking to.

[sawfly1]

Hey I have no problem with
Someone being rewarded for their
Innovation . And exactly how that
Is collected is not really the issue

The issue is the restriction of access
To any seed.
Once you remove access to any other
Options for seed.
The value of your innovation is not
What determines price, but the value
Of cartel does.

Canola for example.
You cannot buy 25 year old Quest.
RR canola seed for 1/3 or 1/4 the
Cost of the new stuff.
You should be able to but you are
Not allowed to.
(user agreements, canceled varieties etc.)

If you could seed them, you have a basis to value
the newer varieties improvements.

When it is all done ,there will only be 3 corporations
Own every seed. No public , no Secan, gone just like
Canola

Once you grant them their seed cartel.
They do not even have to innovate.
Why bother
They have got you by the balls already,
Because you can not use even 30 year old
Varieties.

[TOM4CWB]

Hey I have no problem with
Someone being rewarded for their
Innovation . And exactly how that
Is collected is not really the issue

...

Once you grant them their seed cartel.
They do not even have to innovate.
Why bother
They have got you by the balls already,
Because you can not use even 30 year old
Varieties.

Bad Choice with Quest RR Canola Sawfly,
Quest was a Monsanto RR Canola with contamination in the RR genetics. Monsanto had an obligation to pull Quest from the seed bank in western Canada.

Western Producer 2001:

"Quest is a Roundup Ready variety that was created by Monsanto Canada and produced, multiplied and sold to farmers by Agricore and Sask Pool.

Routine quality assurance tests conducted by the pool earlier this spring unveiled “trace levels” of an unwanted gene in the genetically modified crop.

Monsanto confirmed the problem on April 16 and immediately notified the federal government that the variety was being recalled.

Monsanto spokesperson Trish Jordan stressed that the GM canola is being recalled because of trade implications, not for food safety reasons.

She said the GT-200 gene that was discovered in the variety is “almost identical” to the GT-73 gene that makes Quest resistant to the Roundup Ready herbicide. Monsanto developed both genes simultaneously, but chose to commercialize GT-73 rather than GT-200."

Sawfly;

If western Canadian Farmers allow the 'NSO utopia' to terminate the CSGA and our farmer rights under the Canada Seeds Act.... then by allowing varieties developed by public AAFC/University plant breeding; genetic advancements being funded by Western Canadian Farmer/Producer checkoff programs... to then enforce Trailing royalties with acreage fees for many years on these publically developed genetics/varieties... enforced by CPTA through NSO records...

that would be a real shift in who controls seeds in western Canada to the Seed Trade... with farmers largely paying for the advancements in future varieties... without compensation for our many investments.