Thanks to Mike who mentioned these videos in a comment on my last post. These videos are of Dan Jason of Salt Spring Seeds and The Plant Sanctuary for Canada, and Owen Bridge of Annapolis Valley Seeds, representing Canada’s two coasts at a Seedy Sunday event from earlier this year.
It’s really a great example on how in different parts of the world we have slightly different battles and laws, but in the end our overall problems and goals are the same. Here is Europe we are fighting the battle of legalizing seed saving, but in North America they’re not only fighting to keep seed saving legal, but also facing the real prospect of aggressive police action if they are unsuccessful.
Recently some laws were changed in Canada and other parts of the world like Europe to protect the pharmaceutical industry from the competition of natural foods and herbal remedies. This resulted in raids in Canada where unlicensed vitamins were confiscated by swat teams at gunpoint. It’s very possible heirloom seed companies will one day see their stocks of seeds confiscated in the same way.
We all need to act locally and think globally. We should grow seeds in our own gardens that are locally obtained and suitable for our local climate, but we shouldn’t forget seeds can be obtained elsewhere if necessary. In the same way, we should be fighting our own battles locally, but not forgetting there’s a whole world out there with other people fighting the same battle.
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