Sterile Seeds

(originally broadcast February 9, 2006)

Seeds are the foundation of our food supply and the building blocks of culture, community and well-being. Seeds also represent an industry of which 50% of global sales are controlled by 10 companies. The patenting and control of seeds is already a reality, but the push is now on to introduce Terminator technology - plants that have been genetically modified to render sterile seeds at harvest. This technology will prevent farmers from saving their seeds for the following season and help protect the global seed industry. We will discuss the importance of seeds, Terminator technology, and the Canadian-based worldwide campaign "Ban Terminator".

Guests

Lucy Sharratt - coordinator of the Ottawa-based Ban Terminator international campaign, an initiative of the ETC Group. Lucy has been involved with the Polaris Institute and the Sierra Club of Canada.

Terry Boehm - Vice-President, National Farmers Union (NFU) - Saskatchewan. Terry is a canola farmer in Allan, Saskatchewan.

Devlin Kuyek - Montreal-based staff member of GRAIN - an international non-governmental organisation which promotes the sustainable management and use of agricultural biodiversity based on people's control over genetic resources and local knowledge. Coordinator of the Forum on the Patenting of Life (Canada), member of the Groupe de recherche: technosciences du vivant et soci�©t�© at the University of Quebec at Montreal.

Harry Collins - Vice-President of Technology Transfer, Delta & Pine Land Company - headquartered in Scott, Mississippi, has offices in eight states and facilities in several foreign countries. Holds three patents jointly with the United States Department of Agriculture. These were the first patents on Terminator. Delta & Pine Land is conducting greenhouse tests of Terminator; is the 11th largest seed company in the world; is the largest cotton seed company in the world and produces and sells conventional and GM soy and cotton seed.