New Iraq Law Outlaws Saving Seeds! Requires Licenses!

The updated law makes saving seeds for next year's harvest, practiced by 97% of Iraqi farmers in 2002, the standard farming practice for thousands of years across human civilizations, illegal.

Iraqi Farmers Aren't Celebrating World Food Day

Instead, farmers have to obtain a yearly license for genetically-modified seeds from American corporations. These GM seeds have typically been modified from IP developed over thousands of generations by indigenous farmers like the Iraqis, shared freely like agricultural 'open source.' Other IP provisions for technology in the law further integrate Iraq into the American IP economy."

FAO declares war on farmers, not on hunger

Comment: What a great idea, now farmers in Iraq have to buy seeds they took from years of selective breeding, and Monsanto and others introduce anything by genetic modification to create "ownership." Yes you make the plant over thousands of years, Monsanto introduces any junk slice of DNA it wants, then it owns the plant and you. Bad news happens every day, it gets implemented without question. Why any good news used to take massive struggles to implement, in the days of JFK. I used to rush on his proposals like they were rock music. They didn't get implemented by the hard nosed congress, but these things made me feel like something could get done. Now it is a daily disappointment. This is one more nail in the coffin of the common good, a monopoly on life itself. Frankenfood is compulsory in Iraq now! Great job folks, privatization carried to its extreme, monopolization of everything.

Please comment.

[edit on 14-11-2004 by SkipShipman]

DOES ANYBODY WONDER WHY THE WORLD DOES NOT TRUST AMERICA!!!! "In MONEY we trust" How can anyone deny a "hidden agenda" in the face of evidence such as this? Our leaders treat the common man of America and the world like slaves and cattle.

WE HAVE THE BEST GOVERNMENT THAT MONEY CAN BUY!!

US farmers have had to contend with this for years.

Truly amazing that they are doing this. Monsanto has already taken over America, you'll hear many farmers complain about the seed problem here. No NWO? Hah.

This game of monetary control keeps going further and further spreading into all arenas of life. When will people wake up and see the picture? The "NWO" is already happening...

unfortunately, they patented the human genome, so now 'they' literally OWN every human being. property can't fight. take your chip, and get back in your cage.
monsanto, or loosely translated, my satan.
yay.

when will they push us to critical mass(for a revolution)? or have they got the science of media so perfected that 'they' can just sit back and laugh while the rest of us are thrown into the pit of despair?

Wow that is one fine democracy we are laying on those folks... Curfews, suspended elections, out of control fighting, some estimates of 100,000 dead... Our high and mighty principles are looking more and more like high and mighty imperialism to me and the rest of the world.

Now that is really weird, can anyone comment on why this should be a law. That one smells of lots of conspiracy's. Makes you want to quit buying mass produced food.

Originally posted by outsider
Makes you want to quit buying mass produced food.

now THAT is how we fight these meglomaniac bastards.
they have already done this in other countries as well, BTW.

Originally posted by outsider
Now that is really weird, can anyone comment on why this should be a law. That one smells of lots of conspiracy's. Makes you want to quit buying mass produced food.

Yes, at the very least, build some hydroponic gardens to put out. Also rabbits only take about 8 weeks to harvest. That is if you can stomach slaughtering your own food. I am going to invest in homemade hydroponics because I cannot slaughter little bunnies and chickens are too filthy and noisy. Hey, why should drug dealers be the only ones using hydroponics?? I know I cannot grow everything I eat, as I am living in the city, but ya gotta start somewhere.

People don't realize that Iraqi reconstruction was basically to sell off the entire country to international companies. People don't realize that the country is in open revolt against such policies as the one listed here - using indigenous seed stock is now illegal. Operation Iraqi Freedom, indeed.

First Iraq, next the world.

Fecking evil money-obsessed scumbags !!!

own our DNA screw them...

Originally posted by outsider
Now that is really weird, can anyone comment on why this should be a law. That one smells of lots of conspiracy's. Makes you want to quit buying mass produced food.

Maybe we are worried that all the depleted uranium in their weapons arsenal.

" Today the United States military forces are fully committed to a munition metal which, based on U.S. Veterans Affairs disability statistics on veterans of the 1991 Gulf War, will, along with the effects of other toxins in Iraq, disable one out of three battlefield troops who use uranium munitions within a decade of their exposure. To repeat: ONE-THIRD OF THE VETERANS OF THE 1991 GULF WAR ARE DISABLED TEN YEARS AFTER THE WAR. "

www.axisoflogic.com...

Maybe they found out that it contaminates the food supply as well as disables 1/3 or our military forces?

Originally posted by SkipShipman
The updated law makes saving seeds for next year's harvest, practiced by 97% of Iraqi farmers in 2002, the standard farming practice for thousands of years across human civilizations, illegal.

Iraqi Farmers Aren't Celebrating World Food Day

Instead, farmers have to obtain a yearly license for genetically-modified seeds from American corporations.

You know, this kind of thing really ruins a person's credibility. You went from the original hyperbole of 'its illegal now for iraqis to save sees' which would be odd to say the least, to that they have to pay a license to store GM corporate owned and produced seeds. These are two entirely different claims, and, more importantly, have compeltely different implications. From what I understand, everyone has to pay these fees for the GM seeds. I think that they also make GM crops that don't have seeds, largely because they don't want these GM crops to grow wild.

These GM seeds have typically been modified from IP developed over thousands of generations by indigenous farmers like the Iraqis, shared freely like agricultural 'open source.'

Lots of peoples have developed seeds over time. The 'open source' analogy is cute, but not terribly accurate. The only way for other civilizations to have gotten these seeds in previous times was to buy or steal them, so, in that sense, its more analagous to the GM model.

Other IP provisions for technology in the law further integrate Iraq into the American IP economy."

FAO declares war on farmers, not on hunger

Comment: What a great idea, now farmers in Iraq have to buy seeds they took from years of selective breeding, and Monsanto and others introduce anything by genetic modification to create "ownership." Yes you make the plant over thousands of years, Monsanto introduces any junk slice of DNA it wants, then it owns the plant and you.
The people in modern iraq simply don't have any claim of ownership. And these crops aren't minimally modified to allow evil corporations to have exclusive ownership. They are changed to be resistant to pesticide, or produce vitamins, or more hardy, or whatever. Also, nothing is preventing anyone from using those 'open source' seeds.

. Frankenfood is compulsory in Iraq now!

This does not say its compulsory. It says if they want to use a corporations product, then they have to pay for it.

billybob
so now 'they' literally OWN every human being

patently untrue.

outsider
Now that is really weird, can anyone comment on why this should be a law.

I'd really like someone to explain why monsanto or any other private company is not allowed to creat a product and sell it. They took regular crop plants and did the research and experimentation necessary to produce crops like Golden Rice that have super loads of vitamin e in them. There was no 'public' effort to do this, even thou millions of people starve, die, and even go blind every day from vitamin and food deficiencies. These corporations put in the investment to make these things, now they are allowed to sell it. It shouldn't be free for everyone, and Iraq shouldn't be allowed to take that right to sell the product away from any corporation. If anyone doesn't want t use Monsanto products, then don't but monsanto. If regular non modified crops are 'good enough', then they don't have to get the license to use monsanto, they can continue to use their unmodified crops. I have yet to see anyone calling for the government to beef up tax investment in GM crops to make them freely available for all of humanity, so this entire issue is a bit fake. Monsanto is a corporation, not a charitable organization, and they don't have magic powers. Any government could do what they did, but no one has seen the wisdom to invest in GM crops, so of course its left up to the corporations. And what is iraqs great crime here? In following international trading standards by respecting patents and contracts? They haven't outlawed non monsanto seeds or crops. They've simply agreed that, yes, this corporation has the righ to charge a fee for using their product.

Originally posted by Nygdan
I think that they also make GM crops that don't have seeds, largely because they don't want these GM crops to grow wild.

They are changed to be resistant to pesticide, or produce vitamins, or more hardy, or whatever. Also, nothing is preventing anyone from using those 'open source' seeds.

If anyone doesn't want t use Monsanto products, then don't but monsanto. If regular non modified crops are 'good enough', then they don't have to get the license to use monsanto, they can continue to use their unmodified crops. They haven't outlawed non monsanto seeds or crops. They've simply agreed that, yes, this corporation has the righ to charge a fee for using their product.

Snipped for space -

I'm at work right now, so can't spend too much time hunting down links until later. But I do know right n my own state there have been cases of farmers getting sued or hassled by Montsanto when pollen from Monsanto crops blows into neighboring fields and mixes with non-Monsanto crops. This often results in that farmer's crop being hybridized whether or not is it desirable. And the big agribusinesses subsidize many farms that otherwise would have trouble turning a profit, in the process getting a guaranteed outlet for their product.

Here's a link to a book promo site that has some info about why GM foods are bad: seedsofdeception.com...

Also, remember in WW2 how victory gardens helped put food on a lot of people's tables that might not have otherwise had cheap healthy food. And during the depression, I'm sure home gardens kept a lot of people from malnutrition. If seeds are contaminated with non-seed-producing GM strains, this won't be an option for long. You might be stuck buying seed packets from the garden store that are good for one season, contain whatever modifications the agri folks want, and you can't even harvest seeds to replant next year. I do not want to be dependent on a grocery store or Monsanto for what produce I can have.

I'm thinking a lot of what goes down in Iraq may eventually become common in the US. Iraq may be a testing ground for what the powers that be can get peopel to go along with. In which case I'm going to stock up on even more nitrogen-packed, non-hybrid, seed-producing vegetable seeds. I like gardening anyway, I like saving money by growing my own food, I like knowing what I eat isn't engineered and is relatively uncontaminated.

And I highly recommend keeping chickens for those with yards. Many cites allow a certain number of hens to be kept. They turn produce trimmings into eggs, and you don't even need to kill them to get the protein. I had 7 hens last summer before I moved, and it was a blast taking squash seeds and carrot tops out to them. They got so excited and were fun to watch, and the next morning I got 2-4 yummy healthy eggs. I hate having to use store bought eggs, and as soon as I buy another house, a garden & chickens are top priority.

--Saerlaith

Originally posted by Saerlaith
. I do not want to be dependent on a grocery store or Monsanto for what produce I can have.

If monsantos or any other companies modified crops contaminate most of the countries non modified crops and hybridize with them then strongly suspect that the courts aren't going to allow monsanto to have control of every crop in the country. If anything, this is all an arguement in favour of monsanto produce seedless plants and charging people for the seeds, to prevent cross pollination.

I'm thinking a lot of what goes down in Iraq may eventually become common in the US.

Strange, because what they are doing in iraq in this case is the same as whats done in the US. Monsanto produced the product, you don't get to use it without paying for it. And this idea of monsanto wipping out all other crops is just silly. The iraqis are not prohibited from keeping seeds, they are charged a fee to use monsanto brand patented genetically modified seeds. THey can still use the same seeds they've been using. And I have to question as to wether or not monsanto is going to win any case of accidental cross-fertilization. If anything they'd be held liable for damaging another farms crops.

Originally posted by Nygdan

billybob
so now 'they' literally OWN every human being

patently untrue.

the way you think, i wouldn't be surprised if you're a lawyer.
if i take one of my skin cells, and then clone it and sell it, i am in violation of one or more of about three million patents.
i imagine, technically, you couldn't even sell your hair for a wig, if some greedy megacorporation decided to flex its legal muscle.
how long before they can argue that you are using THEIR DNA sequences to earn money(ie. by having a job), and the patent owners will 'legally' divy up the spoils of all human labour, exactly like the banks are doing now. except more TOTAL slavery-style.

so, it's not as patently untrue as you seem to think.
we didn't 'invent' life, and in principle, NO PATENTS should be allowed on DNA. it's another bloody, satanic NWO scheme. like usury.

i can't believe ANYBODY but a corporate lackey could actually AGREE with the legislation of a PRIVATE monopoly on GOD's design.
friggin' satanists. so pesky.

environment.about.com...://www.percyschmeiser.com/

environment.about.com...

www.greenpeace.org...

Originally posted by Nygdan
And this idea of monsanto wipping out all other crops is just silly. The iraqis are not prohibited from keeping seeds, they are charged a fee to use monsanto brand patented genetically modified seeds. THey can still use the same seeds they've been using. And I have to question as to wether or not monsanto is going to win any case of accidental cross-fertilization. If anything they'd be held liable for damaging another farms crops.

But the bottom line is, if "natural" crops are being contaminated by cross-pollenization, the legal technicalities won't matter. It's like arguing for old growth conservation after the loggers have been through the forest. If the natural seed producers are contaminated, then we are prevented from having non-hybrid crops. We can sue or prosecute all we want, but it won't put the genie back in the bottle. The end result is that organic, non-hybrid crops/seeds could be permanently altered in favor of genetically modified crops. It doesn't take a conspiracy, just enough "oopses" to make major changes to the ability of the everyday person to choose what produce they grow and eat.

--Saerlaith

.
Nygdan,

Are you aware that lots of big chunks of your DNA are also patented by Monsanto and other companies?

Do you think they have a right to patent what nature created?

How about when they start charging you for useing their patent.

Think it is far fetched? Guess again. They own it according to law.
.