Re: Genetic engineering and clematis question
- To: <m*@ucdavis.edu>
- Subject: Re: Genetic engineering and clematis question
- From: "* M* <t*@email.msn.com>
- Date: Sat, 5 Jun 1999 10:33:09 -0700
>arilyan@seanet.com writes:
>>I have to agree with Katherine. Montasano crossed the line when they
>>engineered plants whose seeds have "terminator genes", meaning the progeny
>>are always sterile (so farmers will have to buy seed from them). The
>>pollen from these GE plants, when it drifts and hybridizes with other
plants can
>>cause sterility in unintended ways. It's stupid and dangerous, and it
>>shows that we no longer have any control over what the mega-industry is
doing to
>>our food bank, not to mention the sacred life-giving earth itself.
=====
Barry_Garcia@monterey.edu added:
>well here, farmers get their seeds from local seed companies. Sakata
>seeds, Snow Seed, Etc.
=====
Your "local" seed company may not be growing all those pounds and pounds
of seed that is being sold to your farmers. Many seed companies do not.
They may grow some or none of their own seed.
Instead, they are in business to be distributors for - did you already guess
or should I tell you - growers in other parts of the country/world - like
Monsanto et al.
You can take their word for it, or you can investigate - with your own
eyes - the growing grounds of those "local" seed companies - and "do the
arithmetic" involved for those many pounds, maybe tons, of seed depending on
what is grown in your "local" area .....
=========
and if you are interested :
1999 National Gardening Magazine
January/February issue Page 52
By Shila Patel
The Shrinking Business Of Producing Seeds for the (Home) Garden
The home garden seed business constitutes a very small segment of the
international seed industry, but the recent flurry of mergers, acquisitions,
and cross-shareholding in the seed trade has resulted in a consolidation
that ultimately affects home gardeners.
++With the acquisition of seed companies, many newly minted life sciences
giants ++are focusing attention on producing hybrid and genetically
engineered seed for ++widespread agricultural use. In the future, this will
very likely result in decreased ++interest in developing new varieties for
the tiny home garden market.
The Rural Advancement Foundation International, a nongovernmental
organization dedicated to promoting sustainable agriculture and
biodiversity, reports that the top 10 international seed companies now
control 30 percent of the world's $24 billion commercial seed trade, an
increase of 25 percent in two years.
++These companies include Pioneer HiBred, the world's largest seed company,
++and Monsanto, which spent over $8 billion in the past three years to
acquire ++seed and agricultural biotechnology companies.
++Also among the top 10 are Novartis, a Swiss company that now owns some
++formerly independent American companies (Northrup King, Rogers Seed
++Company, Fund Seeds, and Vaughn Seeds) and Groupe Limagrain, which
++counts Ferry-Morse and Harris Moran among
++ its 49 international subsidiaries.
Maybe one of your "local" companies was one of the 49 ?
Toni
