Life or death over seeds – worldwide seed war rages

http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php/news/archive/2014/15762-
life-or-death-over-seeds-worldwide-seed-war-rages

 14 November 2014.

Over half the global seed market is controlled by 3 agrochemical corporations (Monsanto, DuPont, and Syngenta)
New legislation is threatening to criminalise the ability of farmers to freely save and exchange seeds (see item 1 below).

For example, Ghana is passing a new seed law because of pressure from rich governments, including that of the UK, and big corporations (see item 2 below).

The new law, if passed, will restrict small-scale farmers and food producers from freely saving, exchanging and selling seeds. This will sideline traditional varieties and push farmers towards buying seeds from big business like Monsanto year after year. And small-scale farmers could even face criminalisation for saving seeds that corporations lay claim to.

Take action (UK only): Write to your MP asking that the UK government cease pressuring Ghana to pass the new seed law:
http://action.wdm.org.uk/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1784&ea.campaign.id=32583

Meanwhile in Europe, the TTIP free trade deal between the US and EU threatens to flood Europe with GMOs.

EXCERPT (item 1): Lobby[ing] from US large corporations has been intense and aimed at attacking those EU restrictions on imports of GM food, including the removal of EU requirement of labelling and traceability for GM crops and food. As a result thousands and thousands of citizens are mobilising throughout Europe and in the UK to say NO TTIP! Already the EU has had to halt part of the negotiations for three months to allow for proper democratic consultation.

1. Life or death over seeds – a worldwide seed war is now raging
2. The fight for seed sovereignty in Ghana

1. Life or death over seeds – a worldwide seed war is now raging

War on Want, 23 Oct 2014
http://www.waronwant.org/news/latest-news/18235-life-or-death-over-seeds-a-worldwide-seed-war-is-now-ragging-

2. The fight for seed sovereignty in Ghana

The Climate Coalition, 6 November 2014
http://www.theclimatecoalition.org/news/2014/11/06/fight-seed-sovereignty-ghana