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Open Tap for Anitibiotics in US Agriculture

It’s a busy Christmas for politicians this year!  Lots of things seem to be being sneaked through during the holiday season.  I posted a few days ago about the announcement of a GM corn trial in Belgium, and now I’ve come across this quiet announcement by the FDA in the US that they are formally giving up trying to regulate the routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock in the US.  It’s not like they’ve been doing much in the past, but now it’s official.

Supposedly, Europe is going in a different direction, but I’m not sure that really means anything.  Now the routine feeding of antibiotics as a growth stimulant is forbidden, but all that means is farmers have to say it’s necessary for something else, and can continue to use them.  Maybe all routine use will be prohibited, but this is far from a done deal.

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New GM Corn Trial Planned in Belgium

Following up on the GM potato trial that took place last year in Belgium, a new GM trial — this time corn, is planned for the coming three years in the same location!  I wonder if they’re going to build a stronger fence this time?!  Is it just a coincidence they announced this the day before Christmas holiday weekend?

This time they assure us no one could possibly object to the trial.  They say they will remove the tassels before the plants produce pollen so contamination of the nearby environment won’t be possible.  They also say there will be no business interests, it will only be a project of the university.  Hm, I wonder if the university has any business connections itself…

An important message from the organizers of the resistance:

[EN] Hello,

Yesterday we learned that the VIB is requesting authorisation for a field trial for GM maize in Wetteren. This crop would be launched in a three year open field trial, from 2012 on. A public consultation is organised which is open till 21 January.

It’s very important to respond individually to this consultation by using the special form for this purpose.

Below you find links to useful documents, press articles and a dossier that aims to develop some arguments on this case.

http://fieldliberation.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/rough-reader-on-the-new-vib-maize-crop.pdf

The pdf is just a personal summary of some facts and possible context around that sudden new field trial. To be used freely, as extra inspiration for replying at the inquiry, for an article, an action, or a campaign…

For more information see their website.

See here to respond to the consultation, but be aware as of the time of this post, the English language form wasn’t available.  Keep trying!  Let’s send some web traffic their way and let them know we’re eager, even before the form becomes available.

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Australian Seedsavers Portuguese Tour

Margarida of the Portuguese Seed Savers recently sent an email to a mailing list I’m on, telling everyone about the visit to their country by the founders of the Australian Seedsavers. One of the coordinators of the Australian organization is Kate, known to some of you because she has a blog and visited some of us in Europe too.

Anyway, the Australian Seedsavers met more than 400 people in Portugal. They visited food gardens at several locations and taught workshops on collecting and saving seeds, traditional plant varieties, edible seeds, permaculture, activism and kitchen gardens in schools.

You can read more about this in Portuguese here, or in English here.

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Purple of Sicily Cauliflower

I first wrote about this cauliflower 6 years ago.  Bayu who lives in Indonesia left a comment asking if I had any spare seeds I would send for free, but I don’t have these any more.  Does anyone have some seeds, or would like to buy some seeds, and send them to Indonesia for free?  If so, please let me know and I’ll forward the email address.

These are pretty ordinary seeds.  If you live in the US, they are available for example at Baker Creek.  There are similar varieties with different names, so if you have something that looks the same it probably is.

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Dan Jason and Owen Bridge on Seed Saving in Canada

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.