Long ago and far away. And unforgettable. July 2005
New Photos
Over at the other place I've written about the history of European Union legislation on agricultural biodiversity and on a new draft that they think will put matters right. I don't think it will, and I'm saddened to be unable to find any reports of the discussions on the draft that were to have taken place this month. But rather than clutter up that space with polemic, I thought I'd take advantage of my manifold outlets to sound off here.
This is what I think they should do: exempt any seed sold exclusively in small quantities from any and all legislation pertaining to seed varieties.
That needs unpacking.
"Small" will obviously depend on the species. The draft makes a stab at that, distinguishing tomatoes from broad beans. I don't see any problem with establishing upper limits for all the commonly grown species, even cereals. Enough to grow a reasonable quantity for harvest. If your plans are for more, you will want to build up your own seed stocks anyway, adapting the variety to your growing conditions.
"Exclusively" is important. Few farmers, and fewer gardeners, realize how restricted the supply of seed really is. Company A sells a kilo of seed to Company B, who splits it into 100 gram lots that other companies then package into 1 gram envelopes, just like drug dealers. They're not the ones who should benefit from any relaxation of the rules. Only people who never buy or sell in bulk, who would almost certainly be growing their own supplies, should be able to market uncertified varieties.
As for quality, ordinary consumer legislation will suffice to protect people from seed that doesn't germinate. And if the growers are worried about the seed not performing, whatever that means, let them buy certified seed and see how much compensation that buys them.
Theft of intellectual property can be dealt with simply too; let the owner of any rights protect them by pursuing the putative thieves. It'll be easy enough to keep tabs on names, and without a good name there's no great benefit to be had in stealing the stuff anyway.
The big benefits will be a blossoming of biodiversity, as small growers find it worth their while to trade surplus seeds. Farmers and gardeners will enjoy the satisfaction of growing what they choose, and of developing the skills to make the right choices and then extract the best performance from those choices. The bureaucrats would have less to do. And the big seed companies could stop pretending they give a damn.
There must be a downside, but I'm blowed if I can see it.
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https://media.blubrry.com/eatthispodcast/op3.dev/e/mange-tout.hel1.your-objectstorage.com/2018/issa-veg.mp3
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No apologies for returning to the Irish Seed Savers Association in County Clare. An organisation like that usually sprouts from one person’s enthusiasm and drive, and it flourishes with the commitment and passion of volunteers and staff for whom the work is much more than a job. I spoke to Anita Hayes, who started ISSA, and Eoin Keane, who looks after the apple collection, in an episode last October. Today Anita and some of the people who are carrying her work forward talk some more about seed saving and the Irish Seed Savers Association.
At home and doing the math in a seedy polytunnelA little context may be in order too. Why does something like ISSA need to exist? Can’t gardeners just buy the seeds they want in the shops? Short answer: no. Many of the seeds on offer to gardeners in Europe are varieties that were bred for commercial production. And older varieties, selected because they offered qualities valuable to home growers, cannot legally be offered for sale.
It’s a long story, and one that many people find hard to believe, but in essence the European Common Catalogue, established in the 1960s, says that any variety needs to be registered in order to be offered for sale, and the registration fee is the same for all varieties. That makes registration a trivial cost for a big-selling commercial variety and a huge drain on the profitability of a variety that appeals to even thousands of gardeners. As a result, gardeners in Europe had to establish their own living genebanks, finding, multiplying and distributing seeds using a variety of wheezes.
Ever since the Common Catalogue was first published there have been various attempts to open it up, and there has been some small movement. These experiments, however, still have not properly addressed the needs of home gardeners. Until they do, the Irish Seed Savers Association and organisations like it have a valuable job to do.
Notes
- You can visit the Irish Seed Savers Association website and, better yet, the place itself.
- In addition to Anita Hayes, in the episode you heard from Tony Kay, Flora Barteau, Janet Gooberman, Áine Ni Fhlatharta and Felice Rae. Thanks to them, to Jennifer McConnell, (who took the picture of me in the polytunnel) and to everyone else who welcomed me to ISSA.
- In case you missed it, here’s the episode about Ireland’s apple collection.
- The banner photo show’s Felice Rae’s favourite lettuce seeds, drying before she gets her hands on them.
- You can now search the Common Catalogue online and even see all the varieties that have been deleted since the catalogue came into existence.
- The music is 12 and 6, one of the tracks from AnTara, a collaboration between Tommy Hayes and Matthew Noone.
- Full disclosure: I was closely involved with one of the first such seed libraries in the UK and had a very small part in helping ISSA get on its feet. I’ve also written about it ad nauseam. What I would like Europe to do about agricultural biodiversity is probably the least negative place to start, if you’ve a mind to.
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