Agri-terrorism outlaws seed libraries

[Luddly Neddite]

Seed Libraries Outlawed in Pennsylvania: ?Agri-Terrorism? |

Department of Agriculture cracks down on seed libraries

» Agri-Terrorism? Feds Shut Down Seed Library in Pennsylvania Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!

In yet another example of the federal government’s war on self-sufficiency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture shut down a seed library in Pennsylvania, claiming that a system whereby residents could borrow heirloom seeds and then replace them at harvest time was a violation of the 2004 Seed Act, while a commissioner warned that such behavior could lead to “agri-terrorism.”

...

The library has abandoned the seed system and instead can only promote events where residents are encouraged to directly swap seeds with each other.

“Gosh, this makes me wonder when they are going to crack down on all of those GMO fields, with their grave concerns about cross-pollination,” writes Daisy Luther. “Look out, Monsanto…oh, wait. This only applies to regular people growing vegetables. GMOs aren’t considered an invasive species.”

While the USDA is busy cracking down on local seed libraries in the name of preventing cross-pollination, many accuse the federal agency of being completely in the pocket of biotech giant Monsanto, which itself has been responsible for cross-pollinating farmers’ crops with genetically modified seeds on an industrial scale.

Monsanto is also responsible for creating Agent Orange and PCBs, neither of which can be considered to have had a positive environmental impact.

David Swanson goes further, arguing that Monsanto is, “responsible for environmental disasters that have destroyed entire towns, and a driving force behind the international waves of suicides among farmers whose lives it has helped ruin,” and that the company, “has monopolized our food system largely by taking over regulatory agencies like the U.S. Department of Agriculture.”

...

But, Monsanto is our friend, right? And we should just be good little sheeples and accept GMOs.

Note there are three links above.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

D of A Shuts Down Cell of Potential ?Agri-Terrorists?: Seed Libraries Outlawed in Pennsylvania |

It looks like Michigan is not the only state with a Department of Agriculture that is adamant about the best interests of their citizens. Residents in Pennsylvania can now breathe a little bit easier since an illegal enterprise has been shut down.

The Joseph T. Simpson Public Library in Mechanicsburg was participating in an activity that put the entire ecosystem of the state at risk.

In an astonishing act of hubris, they were running a seed library, right there amongst the books, in the very facility where small children go to have stories read to them.

I’m not making this up. A SEED LIBRARY.

If you aren’t sure what this is, it allows patrons to go in and get heirloom seeds, for free. The borrower plants the seeds, then at harvest time, saves seeds and returns them to the library.

The horror.

Apparently this violates the “Seed Act of 2004.” That’s right, there’s a Seed Act that makes this illegal.

 

[Old Rocks]

Undoubtedly sponsered by Monsanto and put through by a bi-partisan group for the appropriate cash. A real shame that things like this do not get more publicity.

 

[mamooth]

The Monsanto conspiracy theories are embarrassing to view.

Monsanto is not the only agricorp. It's not even the biggest one. With $10 billion or so in sales, it simply doesn't have anywhere close to the cash to buy out a controlling interest in the politicians of planet earth. Outside of soybeans, Monsanto is one of the minor players in the seed market. Declaring that Monsanto is shutting down seed libraries makes no freakin' sense.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Seed Libraries Outlawed in Pennsylvania: ?Agri-Terrorism? |

Department of Agriculture cracks down on seed libraries

» Agri-Terrorism? Feds Shut Down Seed Library in Pennsylvania Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!

In yet another example of the federal government’s war on self-sufficiency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture shut down a seed library in Pennsylvania, claiming that a system whereby residents could borrow heirloom seeds and then replace them at harvest time was a violation of the 2004 Seed Act, while a commissioner warned that such behavior could lead to “agri-terrorism.”

...

The library has abandoned the seed system and instead can only promote events where residents are encouraged to directly swap seeds with each other.

“Gosh, this makes me wonder when they are going to crack down on all of those GMO fields, with their grave concerns about cross-pollination,” writes Daisy Luther. “Look out, Monsanto…oh, wait. This only applies to regular people growing vegetables. GMOs aren’t considered an invasive species.”

While the USDA is busy cracking down on local seed libraries in the name of preventing cross-pollination, many accuse the federal agency of being completely in the pocket of biotech giant Monsanto, which itself has been responsible for cross-pollinating farmers’ crops with genetically modified seeds on an industrial scale.

Monsanto is also responsible for creating Agent Orange and PCBs, neither of which can be considered to have had a positive environmental impact.

David Swanson goes further, arguing that Monsanto is, “responsible for environmental disasters that have destroyed entire towns, and a driving force behind the international waves of suicides among farmers whose lives it has helped ruin,” and that the company, “has monopolized our food system largely by taking over regulatory agencies like the U.S. Department of Agriculture.”

...

But, Monsanto is our friend, right? And we should just be good little sheeples and accept GMOs.

Note there are three links above.

What the fuck does this have to do with Monsato? Does the government being so stupid that they think they can apply laws that apply to selling seeds to people that give away their seeds somehow reassure you that the government cares about you? If it does, you are totally fucked.

Note, all your links are crazy.

By the way, all sane people support seed libraries, especially the far left.

 

[R.C. Christian]

Monsanto headquarters need a Ryder truck stocked with ANFO sitting outside it's doors.

 

[Mad Scientist]

Now you KNOW that the USA is OWNED by Corporations.

"Department of Agriculture to Crack Down on Seed Libraries". Sorta' gives the impression that Riot Police are gonna' start raiding Farms or something.

Oh wait...

 

[dilloduck]

The Monsanto conspiracy theories are embarrassing to view.

Monsanto is not the only agricorp. It's not even the biggest one. With $10 billion or so in sales, it simply doesn't have anywhere close to the cash to buy out a controlling interest in the politicians of planet earth. Outside of soybeans, Monsanto is one of the minor players in the seed market. Declaring that Monsanto is shutting down seed libraries makes no freakin' sense.

Then I'm sure Monsanto and all of it's other food loving friends will leap to the support of the seed libraries.

 

[Rikurzhen]

But, Monsanto is our friend, right? And we should just be good little sheeples and accept GMOs.

Note there are three links above.

 

[Moonglow]

This is the very reason Missouri is getting a Constitutional Amendment for the right to practice agriculture..

 

[flacaltenn]

Now you KNOW that the USA is OWNED by Corporations.

"Department of Agriculture to Crack Down on Seed Libraries". Sorta' gives the impression that Riot Police are gonna' start raiding Farms or something.

Oh wait...

Have you seen the heavily armed raids of the Raw Milk Co-Ops?? It's a bit abusive and overreactive.
But this "seed library" outrage is a very different story..

It's really no different than the dust-up over Nabster. And Free Music lost that one as well. Because artists and song writers gotta eat.. That nicely ties up the analogy dont it?

You want to trade seeds --- fine.. But putting a 3rd party expeditor in the middle of it without VERIFYING that there are no patent or trade issues is gonna lose in court every time. Maybe if Luddly understood how Capitalism works --- there would be more respect for PRODUCER rights and contracts. And less opportunistic whining about Monsanto and other irrelevant favorite boogey-bots.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Now you KNOW that the USA is OWNED by Corporations.

"Department of Agriculture to Crack Down on Seed Libraries". Sorta' gives the impression that Riot Police are gonna' start raiding Farms or something.

Oh wait...

Have you seen the heavily armed raids of the Raw Milk Co-Ops?? It's a bit abusive and overreactive.
But this "seed library" outrage is a very different story..

It's really no different than the dust-up over Nabster. And Free Music lost that one as well. Because artists and song writers gotta eat.. That nicely ties up the analogy dont it?

You want to trade seeds --- fine.. But putting a 3rd party expeditor in the middle of it without VERIFYING that there are no patent or trade issues is gonna lose in court every time. Maybe if Luddly understood how Capitalism works --- there would be more respect for PRODUCER rights and contracts. And less opportunistic whining about Monsanto and other irrelevant favorite boogey-bots.

I would ask if you actually know the facts of this story, but I didn't actually read Duddly's links to see if he posted the facts.

For your edification.

Mechanicsburg’s effort had launched on April 26 as part of the borough’s Earth Day Festival, but there were plenty of similar efforts that had already cropped up across the state before the local initiative.
Through researching other efforts and how to start their own, Cumberland County Library System Executive Director Jonelle Darr said Thursday that no one ever came across information that indicated anything was wrong with the idea. Sixty residents had signed up for the seed library in Mechanicsburg, and officials thought it could grow into something more.
That was, until, the library system received a letter from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture telling them they were in violation of the Seed Act of 2004.

Department of Agriculture cracks down on seed libraries

What is the Seed Act of 2004?

It is all about regulating the sale of seeds, not people sharing them with each other.

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture

 

[flacaltenn]

Now you KNOW that the USA is OWNED by Corporations.

"Department of Agriculture to Crack Down on Seed Libraries". Sorta' gives the impression that Riot Police are gonna' start raiding Farms or something.

Oh wait...

Have you seen the heavily armed raids of the Raw Milk Co-Ops?? It's a bit abusive and overreactive.
But this "seed library" outrage is a very different story..

It's really no different than the dust-up over Nabster. And Free Music lost that one as well. Because artists and song writers gotta eat.. That nicely ties up the analogy dont it?

You want to trade seeds --- fine.. But putting a 3rd party expeditor in the middle of it without VERIFYING that there are no patent or trade issues is gonna lose in court every time. Maybe if Luddly understood how Capitalism works --- there would be more respect for PRODUCER rights and contracts. And less opportunistic whining about Monsanto and other irrelevant favorite boogey-bots.

I would ask if you actually know the facts of this story, but I didn't actually read Duddly's links to see if he posted the facts.

For your edification.

Mechanicsburg’s effort had launched on April 26 as part of the borough’s Earth Day Festival, but there were plenty of similar efforts that had already cropped up across the state before the local initiative.
Through researching other efforts and how to start their own, Cumberland County Library System Executive Director Jonelle Darr said Thursday that no one ever came across information that indicated anything was wrong with the idea. Sixty residents had signed up for the seed library in Mechanicsburg, and officials thought it could grow into something more.
That was, until, the library system received a letter from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture telling them they were in violation of the Seed Act of 2004.

Department of Agriculture cracks down on seed libraries

What is the Seed Act of 2004?

It is all about regulating the sale of seeds, not people sharing them with each other.

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture

All that "sharing" just strengthens the Nabster analogy. Nobody was selling music there either. By brokering trade in POSSIBLY protected products, you are allowing folks to make illegal copies for OTHER PEOPLE to use. I'm sure the music folks aren't concerned with how many copies you make for yourself (tho there are digital reproduction rules for that). They are MORE concerned with your propagation of those products to folks who have never paid a penny to use the companies products.

You've weighed in on the Monsanto thread last week and opinined that are very few NON-GMO commercial strains left. Same with Annuals and Perrenials for your flower bed. If the library has a protected trademarked name on a drawer -- they ARE a Nabster..

 

[Rikurzhen]

All that "sharing" just strengthens the Nabster analogy..

No, it doesn't. Seeds are products of nature. Music is the product of human creation.

Some seeds are the products of human creation and are sold under patent. To my understanding, seed bank enthusiasts are not trading in GMO seeds, rather they're trading in run of the mill seeds, with no IP content embedded within them, and they're also fairly big in archaic seed lines which are not easily available in the commercial marketplace.

That linked newspaper article was full of bullshit and exaggeration. Agri-terrorism. Yeah, right. Small scale community gardens are the backbone of agriculture and their produce is sold to all supermarkets - and if you believe that you might be interested in a bridge I have for sale.

 

[R.C. Christian]

This is the very reason Missouri is getting a Constitutional Amendment for the right to practice agriculture..

I have so much respect for Missouri. They seem to "get it" most of the time.

 

[flacaltenn]

All that "sharing" just strengthens the Nabster analogy..

No, it doesn't. Seeds are products of nature. Music is the product of human creation.

Some seeds are the products of human creation and are sold under patent. To my understanding, seed bank enthusiasts are not trading in GMO seeds, rather they're trading in run of the mill seeds, with no IP content embedded within them, and they're also fairly big in archaic seed lines which are not easily available in the commercial marketplace.

That linked newspaper article was full of bullshit and exaggeration. Agri-terrorism. Yeah, right. Small scale community gardens are the backbone of agriculture and their produce is sold to all supermarkets - and if you believe that you might be interested in a bridge I have for sale.

They don't have to technically be ARTIFICIALLY GMO seeds. In fact -- the library concept simply doesn't work for MOST officially GMO seeds BECAUSE they produce STERILE plants !! The shared stock can be REGISTERED hybrids or strains. People do REAL WORK to produce ornamentals and garden varieties. It's no different than writing and performing music.. Unless the library is savvy enough to guarantee non-registered strains, they may be breaking laws.

You can copy all the "archaic" heirloom seeds you want.. I'm sure you can get original John Philips Souza tunes for free online also. Just don't infringe on other folk's work..

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Have you seen the heavily armed raids of the Raw Milk Co-Ops?? It's a bit abusive and overreactive.
But this "seed library" outrage is a very different story..

It's really no different than the dust-up over Nabster. And Free Music lost that one as well. Because artists and song writers gotta eat.. That nicely ties up the analogy dont it?

You want to trade seeds --- fine.. But putting a 3rd party expeditor in the middle of it without VERIFYING that there are no patent or trade issues is gonna lose in court every time. Maybe if Luddly understood how Capitalism works --- there would be more respect for PRODUCER rights and contracts. And less opportunistic whining about Monsanto and other irrelevant favorite boogey-bots.

I would ask if you actually know the facts of this story, but I didn't actually read Duddly's links to see if he posted the facts.

For your edification.

Mechanicsburg’s effort had launched on April 26 as part of the borough’s Earth Day Festival, but there were plenty of similar efforts that had already cropped up across the state before the local initiative.
Through researching other efforts and how to start their own, Cumberland County Library System Executive Director Jonelle Darr said Thursday that no one ever came across information that indicated anything was wrong with the idea. Sixty residents had signed up for the seed library in Mechanicsburg, and officials thought it could grow into something more.
That was, until, the library system received a letter from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture telling them they were in violation of the Seed Act of 2004.

Department of Agriculture cracks down on seed libraries

What is the Seed Act of 2004?

It is all about regulating the sale of seeds, not people sharing them with each other.

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture

All that "sharing" just strengthens the Nabster analogy. Nobody was selling music there either. By brokering trade in POSSIBLY protected products, you are allowing folks to make illegal copies for OTHER PEOPLE to use. I'm sure the music folks aren't concerned with how many copies you make for yourself (tho there are digital reproduction rules for that). They are MORE concerned with your propagation of those products to folks who have never paid a penny to use the companies products.

You've weighed in on the Monsanto thread last week and opinined that are very few NON-GMO commercial strains left. Same with Annuals and Perrenials for your flower bed. If the library has a protected trademarked name on a drawer -- they ARE a Nabster..

FYI, Napster was about illegally sharing songs which had not been paid for. Frankly, all it proves is how bad copyright law is. Since the initial seeds were purchased, and there is no copyright, or any other intellectual property issue, with generic seeds, all you are really showing is how desperate you are to make a point when you have none.

Must be why the state tried to claim it was terrorism to have seed banks, they knew there wasn't an IP issue. That is because, despite your massive ignorance, the fact that seeds have been genetically altered does not mean that someone owns the rights to those seeds. The exception to that is seeds that have been altered in a lab to be resistant to pests or herbicides. When that happens patent law allows the person who developed the seed to file a patent on it Seeds that have been altered for color of the flowers are rarely allowed to be protected by patents because it is possible for other people to do the exact same thing.

On the other hand, you can keep posting nonsense to make a fool out of yourself.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

All that "sharing" just strengthens the Nabster analogy..

No, it doesn't. Seeds are products of nature. Music is the product of human creation.

Some seeds are the products of human creation and are sold under patent. To my understanding, seed bank enthusiasts are not trading in GMO seeds, rather they're trading in run of the mill seeds, with no IP content embedded within them, and they're also fairly big in archaic seed lines which are not easily available in the commercial marketplace.

That linked newspaper article was full of bullshit and exaggeration. Agri-terrorism. Yeah, right. Small scale community gardens are the backbone of agriculture and their produce is sold to all supermarkets - and if you believe that you might be interested in a bridge I have for sale.

They don't have to technically be ARTIFICIALLY GMO seeds. In fact -- the library concept simply doesn't work for MOST officially GMO seeds BECAUSE they produce STERILE plants !! The shared stock can be REGISTERED hybrids or strains. People do REAL WORK to produce ornamentals and garden varieties. It's no different than writing and performing music.. Unless the library is savvy enough to guarantee non-registered strains, they may be breaking laws.

You can copy all the "archaic" heirloom seeds you want.. I'm sure you can get original John Philips Souza tunes for free online also. Just don't infringe on other folk's work..

Let us assume you are right, how the fuck does that justify the state shutting down the seed bank? It might open the seed bank to civil suits from the owners of the patents on those seeds, but it doesn't justify the state steeping in and shutting down the sharing of seeds that are not protected by IP laws.

In other words, even if we assume you have a point, your defense of the state is still wrong.

 

[flacaltenn]

No, it doesn't. Seeds are products of nature. Music is the product of human creation.

Some seeds are the products of human creation and are sold under patent. To my understanding, seed bank enthusiasts are not trading in GMO seeds, rather they're trading in run of the mill seeds, with no IP content embedded within them, and they're also fairly big in archaic seed lines which are not easily available in the commercial marketplace.

That linked newspaper article was full of bullshit and exaggeration. Agri-terrorism. Yeah, right. Small scale community gardens are the backbone of agriculture and their produce is sold to all supermarkets - and if you believe that you might be interested in a bridge I have for sale.

They don't have to technically be ARTIFICIALLY GMO seeds. In fact -- the library concept simply doesn't work for MOST officially GMO seeds BECAUSE they produce STERILE plants !! The shared stock can be REGISTERED hybrids or strains. People do REAL WORK to produce ornamentals and garden varieties. It's no different than writing and performing music.. Unless the library is savvy enough to guarantee non-registered strains, they may be breaking laws.

You can copy all the "archaic" heirloom seeds you want.. I'm sure you can get original John Philips Souza tunes for free online also. Just don't infringe on other folk's work..

Let us assume you are right, how the fuck does that justify the state shutting down the seed bank? It might open the seed bank to civil suits from the owners of the patents on those seeds, but it doesn't justify the state steeping in and shutting down the sharing of seeds that are not protected by IP laws.

In other words, even if we assume you have a point, your defense of the state is still wrong.

You should assume that if I didn't have a point -- I wouldn't stick my neck out in public.
But actually, I've read a couple articles in Reason Mag about this and they generally take the anarchist free market side..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_breeders'_rights

Plant breeders' rights (PBR), also known as plant variety rights (PVR), are rights granted to the breeder of a new variety of plant that give the breeder exclusive control over the propagating material (including seed, cuttings, divisions, tissue culture) and harvested material (cut flowers, fruit, foliage) of a new variety for a number of years.

With these rights, the breeder can choose to become the exclusive marketer of the variety, or to license the variety to others. In order to qualify for these exclusive rights, a variety must be new, distinct, uniform and stable.

Breeders can bring suit to enforce their rights and can recover damages for infringement. Plant breeders' rights contain exemptions from infringement that are not recognized under patent law. Commonly, there is an exemption for farm-saved seed. Farmers may store the production in their own bins for their own use as seed, but this does not necessarily extend to brown-bag sales of seed. Further sales for propagation purposes are not allowed without the written approval of the breeder. There is also a breeders' exemption (research exemption in the 1991 Act) that allows breeders to use protected varieties as sources of initial variation to create new varieties of plants (1978 Act),[1] or for other experimental purposes (1991 Act).[2] There is also a provision for compulsory licensing to assure public access to protected varieties if the national interest requires it and the breeder is unable to meet the demand.

 

[flacaltenn]

Now the debate about PROHIBITING cities from taking on the liability issues of a "Seed Library" SHOULD be locally decided. But cities don't have massive legal pockets to defend accidental infringements of intellectual property rights. And it seems to me that the public interest is better served by having a more STRUCTURED definition of what may be freely shared.. So at least -- more thought has to go into the concept..

Libraries are great place to do this. Because they appreciate the restrictions on WRITTEN Intellectual Property. And probably would do a great
job IF -- they researched and understand the legal landscape..