Farmers Urge Ottawa to Protect Seed Saving Rights
Saskatoon, SK – Fourteen farmer and seed advocacy organizations have written to Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Heath MacDonald urging him to listen to Canadian farmers – not multinational seed companies – and abandon proposed restrictions to farmers’ seed saving rights.
Thousands of Canadians signed an e-petition opposing proposed changes making it illegal for farmers to save seed from Plant Breeders’ Rights-protected fruit, vegetable, ornamental and hybrid crop varieties – even after paying royalties.
This change would remove these crops from the “Farmers’ Privilege” clause of the Plant Breeders’ Rights (PBR) Act, the seed-saving provision Parliament deliberately preserved after rigorous debate in 2015. At that time, lawmakers recognized the importance of seed saving for farm sustainability and food security.