Stop CETA's attack on the right to save seed

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Hon. Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture
Malcolm Allen, NDP Agriculture Critic
Hon. Wayne Easter, Liberal Agriculture Critic

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Dear Minister Van Loan,

I am disturbed to learn that Canada is negotiating a wide-ranging free trade agreement with Europe that could have an extremely negative impact on farmers in Canada.

It appears that the European Union is asking Canada to commit to adopting UPOV'91, the draconian 1991 version of The International Convention for the Protection of New Plant Varieties. Including UPOV'91 in the trade deal is completely unnecessary because Canada already implements an earlier version of the same Convention that meets all of our current trade obligations.

UPOV’91 would be very harmful to Canadian farmers because it would give intellectual property rights holders stronger rights that could virtually eliminate the rights of farmers to save, reuse and sell seed.

The draft of the trade deal says that biotech corporations, in a preemptive measure before a case has even been proven, could seize the crops, equipment, and farms - and freeze the bank accounts - of farmers who they charge as patent infringers, like farmers who find unwanted contamination in their fields.

The deal should not commit Canada to reducing or eliminating agricultural subsidies or other government supports to farmers. We need to protect the Canadian Wheat Board and the supply management systems that have allowed farmers in the dairy, poultry, and egg sectors to earn a decent living.

I ask you to refuse any commitment to UPOV’91 in this agreement and instead ensure that farmers’ rights to save, reuse and sell seeds are protected.

I ask you to halt negotiations on the trade agreement until you have consulted with Canadians and particularly Canadian farmers.

I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

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