Articles/Letters
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Free the seeds from the corporate giants Hilary Bain
We live in a world where six multinational chemical/seed companies own 75 per cent of the seed stock in the world. This massive centralisation in seed ownership has occurred over the past 20 years. And in the past 20 years there has been a massive increase in genetically modified crops. These crops, mostly soy, corn, cotton and rapeseed (canola) are grown in the USA, Brazil, Argentina and Canada. And some element of these crops is in 90 per cent of all processed foods coming out of these countries, if they are not organic. There are crops of cotton and canola in Australia, mostly in Western Australia. Russia, Japan, China and Europe have banned it, although the TPP and TTIP could change that. Authorities are further allowing for experiments of GM wheat, bananas, sugar cane, grapes, pineapples and papaya. The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, funded by Bill and Melinda Gates and Rockefeller Foundations, is pushing heavily for
GMO use. This also means an increased need for synthetic fertilisers and pesticides which GMO crops require. The Gates Foundation is heavily invested in various agro-chemical corporations. ‘The corporations seek to control the production of the seed. Either through hybrids or through patenting, or through the terminator technology. Farmers themselves have been turned into consumers; they buy seed, they buy chemicals. And that’s the first change we need, they must become producers again,’ says Vandana Shiva in the film The Worm is Turning. We need to find a way to counter this insidious, cor-
porate takeover of the world’s food production, and one big way is for organic farmers and gardeners to save and share their seeds, and to grow a diversity of foods, as this biodiversity creates food resilience. And the community needs to become co-producers by buying organic food from local organic farmers, to help ensure local food resiliency and to keep the population and the environment healthy. The Byron Hinterland Seed Savers Network, which operates under the national group the Seed Savers Network, who are also based in Byron Bay, meets seasonally to freely share seeds, plants, skills and knowledge. The Mullumbimby Community
Garden also has a seed-saving program. There will be a community sharing of the Byron Hinterland Seed Savers on Saturday October 3 at 2pm at Sunnyview Farm, home of One Organic. This is a local event celebrating our locally adapted foods and forms a part of the global actions happening as part of Seed Freedom Fortnight. Bring a plate of finger food, anything you wish to share, or come and enjoy the art of gratefully receiving. For more event details go to their Facebook page. The Worm Is Turning will be shown on Wednesday October 7 at 6pm at the Mullumbimby Civic Hall. There will be a panel Q&A afterwards to discuss food resilience in Byron Shire. Members of the newly formed Byron Regional Food Sovereignty Network, Jo Immig (National Toxics Network), Rod Bruin (local organic farmer) and the filmmakers Asa Mark and Hilary Bain will be present. Tickets are $20 and are available at Santos stores or at the door. For more visit http:// thewormisturning.com. Q
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deaths are owed to men being so depressed by life and having access denied to their children used as pawns by their mothers. This undeclared war between the sexes, operating in Australia from convict times, has got to stop. We’ve got to teach our kids genuine equality of the sexes and that it’s not acceptable to use physical or emotional violence to get back at the other person. David Bradbury Wilsons Creek
Roundhouse ripoff
It was pleasing to see you print the concerns of Graham Mathews regarding the quick sale of the
netdaily.net.au Roundhouse site (Letters, September 23). I raised similar concerns two weeks ago but it did not make it to print. With all the speculation and supposed interest and demand for the home sites, can Council explain explicitly, and without weasel words, why the development was not advertised nationally and put to auction to maximise benefit for the community, which has had a valuable community asset arguably stolen from them and sold off for a bargain. The whole process rubs salt into the wounds of the community after years of dispute and reasonable negotiation. Rod Murray Ocean Shores
An oppressive government is more to be feared than a tiger. – Confucius
Origine Sovereignty CREDIT LIBERATION
CLIMATE
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FOOD SAFTEY HUMAN RIGHTS NFP animal rights TRIBE the corporatocracy cowspiracy
BIG PHARMA GM food solutions
UBUNTU sugar
TRUTH
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money & debt cluster
OCT. 23, 24, 25, 2015
sustainable design
EMF HEALTH
GEOENGINEERING
FREE WEST PAPUA
CONSCIOUSNESS
ORGANIC FARM SHARE earthships geopolitical agenda
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EARLY BIRD TICKETS ON SALE UNTIL SEPT. 30 USE CODE: ECHOLOVE GET 3 DAYS FOR 2 freedomsummits.org 12 September 30, 2015 The Byron Shire Echo
Byron Shire Echo archives: www.echo.net.au/byron-echo