[Shadow_Group] Fw: Outlaws Saving Seeds!

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rense.com

New Iraq Law 
Outlaws Saving Seeds! 
Requires Licenses!
Posted by Timothy
On Monkey.org
11-14-4
 
Doc Ruby writes - 
  
"The (now former) American Administrator of the Iraqi CPA (Coalition
Provisional Authority) government, Paul Bremer,updated Iraq's
intellectual property law to 'meet current internationally-recognized
standards of protection.' 
  
http://www.iraqcoalition.org/<http://www.iraqcoalition.org/> 
regulations/20040426_CPAORD_81_Patents_Law.pdf 
  
The updated law makes saving seeds for next year's harvest, practiced by
97% of Iraqi farmers in 2002, the standard farming practice for thousands
of years across human civilizations, 
  
http://www.vegsource.com/articles2/iraq_seeds.htmnow<http://www.vegsourcecom/articles2/iraq_seeds.htmnow> illegal. 
  
Instead, farmers <http://www.grain.org/articles/?id=6will<http://www.grain.org/articles/?id=6will> have to obtain
a yearly license for genetically-modified seeds from American
corporations. These GM seeds have typically been modified from IP
developed over thousands of generations by indigenous farmers like the
Iraqis, shared freely like agricultural 'open source.' Other IP
provisions for technology in the law further integrate Iraq into the
American IP economy." 
  
http://politics.slashdot.org/politics/04<http://politics.slashdot.org/politics/04> 
/11/13/2023220.shtml?tid=191&tid=155&tid=219 
  
http://www.vegsource.com/articles2/iraq_seeds.htm<http://www.vegsource.com/articles2/iraq_seeds.htm> 
  
http://www.iraqcoalition.org/regulations<http://www.iraqcoalition.org/regulations> 
/20040426_CPAORD_81_Patents_Law.pdf 
  
http://www.grain.org/articles/?id=6<http://www.grain.org/articles/?id=6> 
  
As part of sweeping "economic restructuring" implemented by the Bush
Administration in Iraq, Iraqi farmers will no longer be permitted to save
their seeds. Instead, they will be forced to buy seeds from US
corporations -- including seeds the Iraqis themselves developed over
hundreds of years. That is because in recent years, transnational
corporations have patented and now own many seed varieties originated or
developed by indigenous peoples. In a short time, Iraq will be living
under the new American credo: Pay Monsanto, or starve. 
  
regards, 
  
Eric Sean Webber 
  
http://www.monkey.org/~timothy/<http://www.monkey.org/~timothy/>

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