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  • From: Heron Breen <breen@fedcoseeds.com>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] permit to sell seeds
  • Date: Wed, 13 Jul 2005 10:59:51 -0500

The below info/opinions are my own and do not reflect the views of any
company I
work for or with.
The primary issues that need to be addressed in seed regulation are:
1) Policing- There are few if any consequences for marketing substandard,
diseased seed, besides a bad reputation. There are plenty of regulations and
no
actions. I find ASTA and the governmental agencies generally complicit.
2) Responsibility and legal clarifications- Many seed companies are repack
operations or distributors. The actual producer of the seed is not usually the
name on the catalogs we get each winter/fall. Discerning the liability of the
producer and its subsidaries as well as the repack/distributor's is very
confusing.
3) GE and its con"sequences"- There are currently few laws that regulate
isolation distances needed for eliminating GE contamination of either seed
crops
or any other crop. A producer is under no obligation to keep their seeds free
of
contamination if the resulting plant remains true to type in appearance and
taste. GE seed producers are unwilling to acknowledge contamination as a
threat
to the food supply or to other businesses. Consequences are needed. It is
sick to
see these huge companies hiding behind the Right TO Farm Act.
4) Many disease standards are not being followed or the standards do not
address
seed-borne diseases that can hibernate within the seed coat of a looking seed.
Year after year huge amounts of diseased seed is produced, sold and planted,
sometimes with economic consequences for farmers both large and small. Basil
is a
good example of a yearly risky purchase for large scale growers. In general,
way
too much emphasis is placed upon what chemicals to spray than producing
disease-free and healthy seed able to fight off disease in the field or
greenhouse. Show me a 3% tolerance for disease in a seed crop, and for some
diseases I can show you crop loss and danger to the public health due to
eating
diseased produce.
5) Off-types- Very very common, way above 5% in some cases, even in hybrids.
Apparenly the debacle with almost losing Delicata squash as a pure variety did
not phase the seed industry. And where are the State and Federal agencies
holding
folks accountable? Offtypes, from a large scale seed producer, should be
considered fraud, in my opinion. The conglomerated mega-companies are not held
responsible for their attention to profits instead of quality.
I guess I have wasted enough of the archive space with this topic,
Peace,
Heron Breen
zone 4, Maine
On Mon Jul 11 9:32 , tanis grif <tanisgrif@yahoo.com> sent:

>Again I mostly agree. Especially the part about the laws being too little
>and too
>far behind times. BUT, people getting into seed selling should educate
>themselves
>on the rugulations which DO exist, which DO apply to them, just so they
>won't run
>into trouble.
>
>
>--- Heron Breen wrote:
>
>> The Federal seed act and most state standards are really vague and
>> non-descript,
>> particularly when addressing diseases and seed quality. Yes there is
>> language
>> making sure you have to sell true to type seed and advertise its
>> attributes within
>>
>> the margins of reality/imagination. But, basically it is up to the
>> integrity of
>> the
>> seed companies to determine what level of quality etc they choose to
>> offer. Over
>> the last year, I worked with various seed regs in-depth, and most high
>> "standards"
>>
>> are only relevant when refering to certified and registered seed, which
>> most
>> garden
>> seeds are not. Most states have very stringent standards for certified and
>> registered seeds, but the garden trade is pretty much unregulated. The
>> Federal
>> Seed
>> Act is, in lieu of my work over the last year, somewhat laughable, as is
>> the very
>> underfunded and out-of-touch facilities that that supposedly come up with
>> seed
>> regs. Really folks, the big companies do not want specific regs more
>> quality, seed
>>
>> size, disease, and some of the finer points. And ASTA pretty much makes
>> the regs.
>> This is not badmouthing, it is a sad truth. The seed pathologists I have
>> talked to
>>
>> have been almost the only voices of wisdom in the "system".
>> Another good point about the "seeds intended to be planted in Minn..".
>> Many
>> customers buy seeds from a company from their second home, office, for
>> their
>> grandmother in another state, what have you. How in hell is a seed company
>> responsible or even able to ascertain where the customer is going to plant
>> their
>> seeds. For example, a fellow buys plants from his home in the southwest to
>> plant
>> at
>> his summer home in the midwest. Does a company use the billing address or
>> the
>> shipping address? Do we make ever customer sign a letter of intentionas to
>> where
>> they wish to plant their seeds? What about seeds folks buy but don't
>> plant? The
>> holes in this sort of regulation are many and obvious.
>> Peace,
>> Heron Breen
>> zone 4, Maine
>>
>
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