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Canton man: why are seeds being treated like drugs?

Posted 4/3/15

To the Editor: Working with your soil in your home garden, on your own patch of land and turning your ‘dirt’ into something joyful and wonderful is one of the seasonal pleasures the majority of …

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Canton man: why are seeds being treated like drugs?

Posted

To the Editor:

Working with your soil in your home garden, on your own patch of land and turning your ‘dirt’ into something joyful and wonderful is one of the seasonal pleasures the majority of all who are non-farmers can relate too quite well. Whatever you plant and grow on your ‘little’ patch those plants appear almost magically, a joy to behold and to brag about in the office or at work. Our gardens come in different sizes and shapes and provide us with visual beauty, as well as nutritious and edible plants. Which in turn provide one of the few remaining joys and pleasures that we can share with our neighbors.

Who hasn’t run out of seeds when you are planting something in your garden? Who hasn’t asked our neighbor or friends for a few seeds that she had left over from her planting? Who hasn’t gone to our neighbor or a seed exchange or the local library in your area to exchange left over seeds and perhaps gossip at bit as well? Whelp, do I have news for you! All these seemingly innocuous activities are illegal here in the USA. That’s right those threads that bind our communities together, those delicate threads that help sustain and grow our communities is now becoming a fond memory of our past. Hard to believe, but it’s true.

Today, there is a concerted effort by some states, under the leadership, of the a national group, the Association of American Seed Control Officials (AASCO), which has produced what's called the Recommended Uniform State Seed Law. Every state in the Union belongs to this group and all states participate in the organization’s activities. Their ‘new” initiative is being undertaken to ‘preserve’ the quality and viability of our seeds. Now before you become overwrought with this new found knowledge, all countries throughout the world have the same such organizations in place in order to protect their native biodiversity and prevent invasive species from taking over their native flora and fauna.

Within the USA, all states have individual Ag and Markets organizations which, as one of their many must responsibilities, must determine that seeds sold to farmers and gardeners are of good or certified quality. All states have laws that require organizations, corporations or individuals who sell seeds to buy a permit, label their seeds with the variety’s name, germination percentage, presence of weed seeds, name and address of supplier, and more. This sounds reasonable to me, right? How about you?

We’ve all seen that information on our seed packets that we buy or exchange with our friends and neighbors, even if we didn’t really understand all the information provided. Now here it comes a new legislative initiative brought to you by those friendly folks at the Association of American Seed Control Officials (AASCO), which would encourage or enable all states in their legislature, to include in their seed-labeling laws a new or novel way to define the word ‘sell’. The new definition of ‘Sell’ is now to include the following wording: “…giveaway, transport, and even “possess with intent to … giveaway or transport.” Sounds as if they are describing an illegal drug transaction with that definition doesn't it? Wonder who dreamed up this nonsensical definition, our friends at Homeland Security? Therefore, the good folks at AASCO are now proposing and pushing for that, in your own best interests, of course, you will now need a permit issued by your state to legally give away (exchange) your own personal seeds to friends, neighbors, or a seed exchange working from our library, or at a designated seed library.

“The creation of seed libraries to facilitate seed sharing and preserve seed diversity has been spreading, with an estimated 300 libraries now operating nationally. Officials in several other states are now saying that the libraries can’t give away or exchange seeds unless they first obtain a permit and comply with the numerous requirements of the seed-labeling law. Needless to say, these actions have upset many gardeners who know the value of saving and sharing seeds that are highly adapted to their local conditions. Regulating seeds that are sold commercially is one thing, but applying such laws to seeds that are swapped or given away defies logic, history, and common sense.”

I live in a rural county, St. Lawrence, which is located in northern New York when I read about this nonsense. I naturally contacted the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. I had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Jan Morawski of the NYS Division of Plant Industry- Seed control. During our discussion of the matter of seed exchanges, neighbors giving seeds to their neighbors, farmer-to-farmer, landowner to landowner, or seed libraries to patrons, etc., related to me that as long as no cash (hard currency, checks, etc.) exchange’s hands between individuals, organizations etc., there is no violation of New York State law. Therefore, we can count ourselves as being lucky (?) in this regard, but other states are not so lucky.

To follow all the news coverage on this issue, visit the Sustainable Economies Law Center (SELC) campaign partner, Shareable.

Alan J. Leo

Canton