Terminator technology could wreck agriculture forever and give even more power to big farming businesses. Looks like the big daddy wants to control your food from farm to fork (Photo Via Metro News UK)
Bill to Ban Terminator Re-introduced!
Ask the Prime Minister to support Bill C-353 “Terminator Seed Ban Act”
What is Terminator?
Terminator Technology means creating plants that make “dead seeds” – seeds that will never create another baby plant ever again. It was whipped up by big farm businesses and the US government to stop farmers from being able to grow their own plants and force farmers to buy seed each season from big farm businesses.
It’s the same as saying, “Sorry farmer Joe, you can’t grow your own food unless you use our special seeds. And those seeds kill themselves so you have to buy from us next year. Have a nice life because we own it AND YOU.”
No one likes it if someone tells you you can’t do something especially if that something is growing food to eat or sell. It also means you the eater don’t really get your pick of different varieties because terminator seeds come in “limited colours”.
Photo via Wymzie
Terminator seeds have not been field-tested or commercialized.
In 2006, Monsanto bought the company (Delta & Pine Land) that owned Terminator. Terminator is sometimes called Genetic Use Restriction Technology (GURTs) – it means using chemicals to control seeds. It’s kind of like telling the seed whether they should grow or not, die or not.
Member of Parliament Alex Atamanenko (NDP) has reintroduced his Private Members Bill (C-343) to ban the release, sale, importation and use of Terminator technology.
A grim sunrise over a field o lifelessness (Photo Via the Oakland Institute)
ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE
1. Send an instant email at http://www.cban.ca/terminatoraction.
2. Organizations can support the call for a ban: go to http://www.banterminator.org/endorse
3. Write a personalized letter. Remember: postage is free to your elected officials! You can use your postal code to search for your MP at http://www.parl.gc.ca (Note: The New Democratic Party and the Bloc Québécois already support a Ban on Terminator in Canada.) For more information see http://www.cban.ca/terminator
4. Distribute Ban Terminator postcards in your community! To order postcards email btpostcards@usc-canada.org
5. Donate to support the campaign — the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network implements the Canadian strategy of the International Ban Terminator Campaign http://www.cban.ca/donate
6. Sign up to Ban Terminator news
http://www.banterminator.org/subscribe
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K2P 0R5
Phone: 613 241 2267 ext.5
coordinator@cban.ca,
www.cban.ca
OTHER RESOURCES
Grim Sower: Renewed Calls for Ban on Terminator Technology
Zombie seeds could terminate agriculture
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