Seedy Sunday: the campaign
Protecting biodiversity and the seed supply
By Lindy Sharpe
The Seedy Sunday campaign is to protect biodiversity and protest against the increasing control of the seed supply by a handful of large companies. The F1 seeds sold by seed companies are not capable of being collected and used again after the plant has flowered, so for the first time in history growers have to buy new seed every year. This is annoying for growers in the UK, as it creates an expensive dependency, but a calamity for subsistence farmers elsewhere in the world.
Thousands of garden varieties are disappearing
It is in the companies' financial interest to focus on a small number of varieties that best suit the demands of large-scale growing and retailing. EU legislation reinforces this by making it illegal to sell or buy seeds from varieties which are not officially 'Listed' - a costly and time consuming process. As a result, thousands of tried-and-tested garden varieties are disappearing. And with them goes some of the genetic raw material that will enable plants to adapt and survive in the future.
A global campaign rooted in your garden
The campaign to protect our seeds stretches around the world, but it has its roots in your garden. By growing open-pollinated varieties, then saving and swapping the seeds, growers can keep alive 'outlawed' varieties, conserve biodiversity and limit corporate control of the basis of life.
This page was added on 26/01/2008.