Katy Clark on ‘Seed Privatisation’

Katy Clark MP has called on the UK Government to stop supporting seed privatisation in Ghana, as this means that local farmers will no longer be able to save or swap seed varieties. As stated in our report on TTIP, the creeping domination of companies such as Monsanto is forcing small farmers to accept their ‘product’ or go out of business. Farmers in Ghana, Katy pointed out, may be punished if they continue their age-old custom of swapping seeds between each other and saving seed stock from each year’s crop as the basis for the next. She added, ‘A number of constituents have contacted me to express their concern about the New Alliance & the Plant Breeders Bill in Ghana. It is wrong that UK aid money could be contributing to the privatisation of seeds in Ghana, Tanzania and Malawi. I believe that the Government should back community led projects instead of ones which help big business and threaten small farmers.’