Terminator seeds have never been field-tested or commercialized any where in the world and we must ensure that they are never used in Canada. Terminator has been widely and strongly condemned, in Canada and across the world, because it threatens farmer livelihoods, food security, and agricultural biodiversity.
Terminator or Genetic Use Restriction Technology (GURTs) is a technology of genetic engineering designed by the multinational seed industry to make seeds sterile after first harvest. The goal of Terminator is to prevent farmers from saving and re-using seed, forcing them to buy seed from corporations every season.
There is currently an international moratorium on Terminator at the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. In March 2006, Canada and other governments across the world upheld and strengthened the moratorium. We ask that the Government now state its strong opposition to this dangerous technology and take immediate steps to prohibit its field-testing and commercialization in Canada.
A ban in Canada is needed to stop corporations from trying, year after year, to introduce these seeds that would devastate Canadian farmers. The Canadian Government’s lack of position on Terminator threatens the future of Canadian farmers. Terminator would create a corporate stranglehold on seeds and is a major violation of the rights of Canadian farmers to save and reuse their own seeds.
Through pollen movement in the first generation of Terminator plants, Terminator genes can actually contaminate farmers’ crops - farmers might then unknowingly save and reuse seeds that are contaminated and will not germinate. This unexpected yield loss could also happen if imported grain contained Terminator genes or if other accidental mixing occurred.
Canada’s position on Terminator is of global importance as Terminator seeds threaten the 1.4 billion people around the globe who depend on farm-saved seed for their survival. To protect their farmers, the Governments of India and Brazil have both banned Terminator technology.
I ask you to support the creation of legislation to prohibit field testing and commercialization of Terminator seeds in Canada. Action to ban Terminator will be a major step in supporting the future of Canadian farmers and farming.
Thank you for your consideration and for your attention to this urgent matter.
Yours sincerely,
