Since September 2006, the Turkish Parliament has been debating a new seed law that will restructure and privatise Turkey's seed sector as part of its bid for EU membership. The final vote is likely to take place next week. Some features of the new law include the mandatory registration of commercial plant varieties, introduction of genetically modified seeds and restrictions on farmers' rights to save and exchange seeds. Many voices have been raised against the proposal by Turkish farmers groups, the national anti-GMO platform, environmental activists, seed savers groups, some university agricultural department officials and the chamber of agricultural engineers in Turkey. The opposition campaign needs your solidarity and support. Below are two letters from Turkish and European (CPE) farmers' unions to the Turkish Parliament. If you want to support the CPE letter, please send your name, organisation and contact details to Arca Atay, No to GMOs Platform, arcaatay(at)gmail.com, as urgently as possible. Thank you. - GRAIN TITLE: Turkish Farmers' Declaration AUTHOR: Initiative for the Confederation of Farmer Unions PUBLICATION: Open Letter to Parliamentarians DATE: 11 October 2006 DECLARATION FROM THE INITIATIVE FOR THE CONFEDERATION OF FARMERS UNIONS Seeds are the essential elements of the agricultural production. Without any fertilizer or agricultural chemicals you can have the yield back, though to some limited extend, but without the seed you cannot have anything back from the land. If you prevent the farmers from saving some seeds from its own produce for the next planting season, it means that you forced the farmer to turn to someone else. These someothers, the ones which you entitle as the owner of seeds will also own the farmers since you make the farmers dependent on them. Is it possible to implement a law that create masters for the previously independent farmers? How legitimate is to promulgate a law which means "Don't save and use any seeds for the next planting from your own production and pay to the firm which produce them"? To what extend is such a law consistent with the criterion of justice? Dear MP, We don't ask these questions to speak to your conscience. We believe that someone's conscience is under his/her responsibility, pertaining to his/her own realm. We the farmers, conceive interfering to this realm as disrespectfullness and never act as such. But with the new Seed Law you intend to make the corporations the owner of the seeds. And it means that these corporate firms take the charge of the agriculture. We just ask whether you think that to make the performers of a profession dependent on others who will profit from them, is consistent with just, egalitarian and libertarian thoughts? You supposedly perform your duty under an institution which is supposed to provide the conditions for justice, equality and freedom. Corporations that monopolizes the seeds would not only dominate the agriculture but also the fate of the food. We think you know that, so if you will delibaretley approve a law which culminates in the dominance of a few corporates on the food production, this will not only upset but also frighten us. We are just curious about that. Seed monopolies in the world are a handful. But through lobbies that they establish, they enable themselves to implement laws to their own benefits. Laws that are made to the benefit of multinational corporations, influence the lives of more than 3 billion peasants. Farmers and peasants think that women, men and their families; -- Have the right to determine the kind of the plant they want to produce -- Have the right to denounce the plants which would be harmfull economically, ecologically and culturally -- Have the right to determine the forms and conditions of farming they want to perform -- Have the right to save and develop local agricultural knowledge -- Have the right to use agricultural facilities -- Have the right to choose personally and collectively their product types, quantities, qualities, and the particular way of breeding and cultivation democratically. -- Have the right to choose a technology that is convenient to human health and ecology and to use this particular techonology in breeding and cultivation. -- Have the right to develop and grow their native species. The legal draft which is a product of lobbying by the Seed Corporations is now in front of you. And the seed and agriculture rights determined by 3 billion farmers who labors by their own is already explained above. We want you to make a comparison between the two. We do not want any ammendments to this law since we, the farmers, do not see any correct article in it. If there is a need for a regulation concerning seed production we should decide what to do together. At first, the favorable conditions for such a public debate should be created. We, whose ideas were always overlooked, want to participate and express our claims regarding an issue that is vital for us. That is why this legal draft should not be approved. You should consider again for whom and for whose interests are you pursueing by approving this draft. Do not take into consideration the clamour and noise that seed corporations made. Do not surrender to their agressivness. Their own corporations wil also be sold to global monopolies in 5 years and they will be alone with the guilt of making farmers and consumers dependent. Dear MP's, Do not turn our country to a testing area for the global monopolies. Refrain from burying the farmers. And respect the farmer's universal rights concerning seed production and agriculture by not approving this draft. And do not contribute to the making of a slavery law in the 21th century. Abdullah AYSU Spokesperson of the Initiative for The Confederation of Farmer Unions Union of Sunflower Farmers President Nevzat UGUR Union of Nut Farmers President Kutsi YASAR Union of Breeders President A.Hamit GÃœRLEYEN Union of Grain Farmers President Abdullah AYSU Union of Tobacco Farmers President Ali Bülent ERDEM Union of Grape Farmers President Adnan ÇOBANOGLU TITLE: Letter from the European Farmers' Coordination (CPE) to Turkish Parliamentarians DATE: 17 October 2006 URL: http://www.cpefarmers.org LETTER FROM CPE Ladies and Gentlemen, Congressional Deputies of the Republic of Turkey: We have learned that a new bill on seeds is submitted tomorrow at the vote of your Parliament. This law proposal would dispossess the farmers from the ownership of their seeds. We, small farmers of the European Union, suffer under such laws in our countries: They make us more and more dependent of the multinational companies of seeds and pesticides. We will face very serious problems, because this intensive agricultural model favoured by the EU destroys the soils, pollutes our water with its petroleum-based fertilizers and its pesticides, and consumes constantly more unrenewable materials. The EU has allowed millions of small farmers to disappear, with all the biodiversity that thrived along with them. Thousands of plant varieties have been lost, along with hundreds of races of animals. Don?t make the same mistake! We take pride in the fact that a country of the Mediterranean region has been able maintain such an impressive agricultural population and an agriculture as diversified as yours is. We ask that you do whatever you can so that this law: -- maintains the right of all farmers to sow their own seed or that of other farmers, -- guarantees the survival of existing biodiversity and that it continue to be made available for the use of all small farmers who are numerous in Turkey. We know that Turkey, with its long agrarian history, is a mighty storehouse of biodiversity--this is a treasure to be preserved -- places no financial or administrative constraints on small farmers, -- protects your agriculture by shielding your crops from any kind of contamination by GMOs (genetically modified organisms), -- realizes the full value of the work of generations of small farmers who have enabled Turkey to nourish its population and even to export, -- assist all farmers who use the local seeds of your country, all the farmers who work for the conservation of ancient and local varieties. We have need of a country near use like Turkey to open a new path, a path of hope for all the small farmers of Europe, for consumers who are now glutting on standardized products of poor quality. Turkey, rich in its small farmers and its biodiversity, should do all it can to help these farmers and to save and secure its agricultural patrimony. We have need of you! With our most respectful regards to the representatives of the Turkish People, * * * Messieurs et Mesdames les députés de la République de Turquie; Nous apprenons qu'un projet de loi sur les semences sera soumis au vote demain du Parlement. Il s'agit d'un projet de loi qui déposséderait les agriculteurs de l'usage de leurs semences. Nous, petits paysans de l'Union Européenne, nous souffrons de telles lois dans nos pays. Elles nous rendent de plus en plus dépendants des grandes compagnies multinationales de semences et pesticides. Nous allons au devant de très graves problèmes, car le modèle intensif d'agriculture ainsi favorisé par l'UE détruit les sols, pollue les eaux par ses engrais et ses pesticides et consomme de plus en plus de matières non renouvelables. L'UE a laissé disparaître des millions de petites fermes et toute la biodiversité qui allait avec, des milliers de variétés de plantes ont disparu, des centaines de races d'animaux également. Ne commettez pas les mêmes erreurs ! Nous sommes fiers qu'un pays du bassin méditerranéen puisse avoir une grande population agricole et une agriculture aussi diversifiée que la votre. Nous vous demandons de faire tout votre possible pour que cette loi: -- maintienne le droit de tout les paysans à semer leurs propres semences ou celles d'autres paysans. -- protège la biodiversité et que tous les paysans, en particulier les petits paysans, nombreux dans votre pays, y aient accès. Nous savons que la Turquie, par sa très longue histoire agraire, est un formidable grenier pour cette biodiversité, c'est un trésor à préserver. de votre nation indispensable pour toute politique qui veut conserver un bon niveau de souveraineté alimentaire. -- ne pose aucune contrainte financière ou administrative aux petits paysans. -- protège votre agriculture en évitant toute contamination de vos cultures par les OGM (organisme génétiquement modifié), -- valorise le travail des générations de paysans qui ont permis à la Turquie de nourrir sa population et même d'exporter. -- aide tous les paysans qui utilisent des semences locales de votre pays, tous les paysans qui travaillent pour la conservation des variétés anciennes et locales. Nous avons besoin qu'un pays qui nous est proche comme la Turquie montre une nouvelle voie, un espoir pour tous les paysans d'Europe, pour les consommateurs gavés aujourd'hui de produits standardisés de mauvaise qualité. La Turquie riche de ses paysans et de sa biodiversité doit tout faire pour les aider et sauver son patrimoine agricole. Nous avons besoin de vous ! Avec nos respectueuses salutations aux représentants du peuple turc, * * * To support the CPE's letter, please send your name, organisation and address to Arca Atay: arcaatay(at)gmail.com. GOING FURTHER (compiled by GRAIN) Contacts: -- Turkish Parliament (to send letters in protest): Fax +90 312 286 3964 -- Mr. Abdullah Aysu (spokesperson of the Initiative for The Confederation of Farmer Unions): +90 5322640624 -- Arca Atay (No to GMOs Platform): arcaatay(at)gmail.com "TMMOB claims bill meant to save Cargill's illegal facility", The New Anatolian, Ankara, 27 October 2006. http://www.thenewanatolian.com/tna-17015.html Cengiz Aktar, "New seed bill: A grave mistake", Turkish Daily News, Ankara, 10 October 2006. http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=5626 5 "Bill raises concerns over food safety and biological security", Turkish Daily News, Ankara, 2 October 2006 http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=5556 8 "Parliament to wrap up EU package", The New Anatolian, Ankara, 2 October 2006. http://www.thenewanatolian.com/tna-15607.html "'Seeds legislation should be withdrawn'", The New Anatolian, Ankara, 2 October 2006. http://www.thenewanatolian.com/tna-15637.html E.K., "Agricultural Engineers against the new 'seed law'", LaborNet Turkey, 28 September 2006. http://www.sendika.org/english/yazi.php?yazi_no=7731 Special "seed laws" issue of Seedling, GRAIN, July 2005. http://www.grain.org/seedling/?type=45 Texts of seed laws from across the globe http://www.grain.org/brl/?typeid=50