Saatgutkampagne

Campaign for Seed-Sovereignty
Kampagne für Saatgut-Soveränität
Campagne pour la souveraineté semencière

Initiatoren der Kampagne:

Notkomitee für die Erhaltung der Weizenvielfalt ohne Gentechnik
BUKO-Kampagne gegen Biopiraterie

Presseerklärung zum Aktionstag am 16.10.2012
Proteste gegen Saatgut-Industrie am Welternährungstag:
Saatgut ist zu wichtig, um es den Konzernen und der Politik zu überlassen!

Zum heutigen Welternährungstag protestieren in vielen europäischen Städten Bürger und Bürgerinnen gegen die Macht und das Vorgehen der Saatgut-Industrie und gegen die Saatgutpolitik der EU. Saatgut ist die Basis für die Erzeugung von Lebensmitteln und somit für Landwirte unverzichtbar. Die Konzentration der Erzeugung von Saatgut in den Händen weniger weltweit agierender Chemie-Konzerne ist ein gefährlicher Angriff auf die Unabhängigkeit von Bauern und Bäuerinnen, Gärtnerinnen und Gärtnern weltweit.
Gerade haben sich die G8-Staaten im Rahmen der "Neuen Allianz für Ernährungssicherung" darauf geeinigt, „lizensiertes Saatgut in Afrika zu fördern” und „frei zugängliches, traditionelles Saatgut zu unterbinden” (laut taz vom 16.10.12). Damit ist es den Saatgutkonzernen wieder einmal gelungen ihre Profitinteressen in den herrschenden Politikstrategien festschreiben zu lassen. Dagegen richten sich die Proteste der europaweiten „Kampagne für Saatgutsouveränität”. Außerdem sind diese Proteste Teil der weltweiten Kampagne für „Seed-Freedom” von Vandana Shiva, Trägerin des Alternativen Nobelpreises.
In BRÜSSEL beginnt um 15 Uhr eine Demonstration gegen das Jahrestreffen der „European Seed Association”, des Lobbyverbandes der Saatgut-Industrie. Diese tagt nach eigenem Bekenntnis in Brüssel, um Einfluss auf das demnächst zu erwartende neue EU-Saatgutrecht zu nehmen.
In LUXEMBURG findet auf dem Platz vor dem Europäischen Gerichtshof (EuGH) heute um 14 Uhr ein Sit-In und ein Saatgut-Tauschtreffen statt. Dieser Protest richtet sich gegen das im Juli ergangene Urteil des EuGH im Rechtsstreit zwischen der Saatgutfirma Graines Beaumaux und dem Netzwerk für alte Sorten, Kokopelli.. Das Urteil vom 12.7.2012 hatte die bestehende EU-Saatgutgesetzgebung gerechtfertigt und die schon darin liegende Bevorzugung der Saatgut-Industrie weder erkannt noch zu beseitigen versucht.
In WIEN findet um 11 Uhr eine Demonstration vor dem dortigen Sitz des Europäischen Patentamtes statt, um gegen dessen Praxis der Vergabe von Patenten auf Tiere und Pflanzen zu protestieren. „Kein Patent auf Leben” fordern dort das Saatgutnetzwerk „Arche Noah”, der Österreichischen Bergbauern- und Bäuerinnen-Verband (ÖBV), attac Österreich und andere Organisationen.
Ein bunter Aktionstag wird von 10-16 Uhr auf dem Leichhof in MAINZ stattfinden, mit Informationen zum Saatgut-Thema, bedruckten Crepes und Straßentheater.
In GRIECHENLAND haben am Wochenende schon in vielen Regionen Veranstaltungen des Saatgut-Netzwerkes „Peliti” stattgefunden.
In SPANIEN finden in den nächsten Tagen in 16 Regionen Aktionen und Proteste zum Saatgut-Thema statt, im Rahmen der gesamtstaatlichen „Woche der landwirtschaftlichen Biodiversität”.
Mehr Informationen zu diesen und anderen Veranstaltungen.
Hintergrundinformationen in der Broschüre: „Widerständige Saat”, über http://www.seed-sovereignty.org/film.html,
Direktlink: http://www.saatgutkampagne.org/PDF/Booklet_Saatgutfilm2011_web.pdf

UnterstützerInnen der Kampagne:

Österreichische Bergbauern- und Bäuerinnen Vereinigung (ÖBV), Via Campesina Austria

Red de Semillas (Spanien)

Red Andaluza de Semillas (Spanien)

BUKO-Kampagne gegen Biopiraterie

BUKO-Agrarkoordination

Aktionsnetzwerk globale Landwirtschaft

Europäisches Bürgerforum

Europäische Kooperative Longo Mai

Dachverband Kulturpflanzen- und Nutztiervielfalt e.V.

Save our Seeds

Basler Appell gegen Gentechnologie (CH)

A SEED Europe (NL)

Percy Schmeiser; Rapsfarmer aus Kanada

Peliti – Saatgut-Tauschnetz in Griechenland (HE)

Δικτυο Οικοκοινότητα
(Eco-community Network)

Ο Σπόρος ("The Seed")

Kampagne „Prudence OGM“ (F)

Action day 16 October / Aktionstag 16. Oktober

Genève / Genf / Geneva

STREET THEATER!

We organized a street theatre performance between 12 and 14pm, at the biggest fruit and vegetable market in Geneva. The characters in this performance were the narrator, three tomatoes from an ancient variety, a representative of Kokopelli, an old farmer, an EU seed inspector, and the multinational “Méchanto” (méchant in french means “mean”). Each performance lasted 6 minutes and we replayed it many times. The story was about an EU inspector who prohibited an old variety of tomatoes and how a multinational takes advantage of the situation to sell his hybrid crop to the old farmer. Finally the farmer, with the support of Kokopelli, decides to struggle against the prohibition and monopolisation of seeds.

DISTRIBUTION OF SEEDS

After this performance, we briefly explained to the public the critical situation of Kokopelli and invited them to take part in the struggle to free the exchange of seeds. We distributed about 80 small bags containing few seeds from an old beet Swiss variety. The bag included the instructions to cultivate and reproduce these seeds, in order to keep the old beet variety in our gardens.

THE STAND AND THE MOVIES

Besides the performance, there was a stand with documentation about Kokopelli and the EU legislation on seeds. Some food, wine, and a home-made beet lemonade were offered!

Finally, in the evening, we showed two short films, “Resilient Seeds” and “L’ortie fée de la résistance” (the nettle, fairy of resistance), and savoured a delicious pumpkin soup.

Mainz / Mayence / Maguncia & Bingen

About 20 active people gathered in the city centers of Mainz and Bingen to inform the inhabitants about issues in the agricultural sector, especially the seed market. From 10 am until 4 pm they offered a broad spectrum of information covering the history of seed legislation, power concentration on the market and monopolism of the big agro-chemical business.

In Mainz, apart from the core information some more activities were presented. People were invited to paint their individual vision of cultural plants. A lot of wonderful paintings were created during the day, reflecting the originality and unconformity of plants and fruits which can be found in nature and, not to forget in the context of nowadays consumers power, in the perception of the people. From time to time the painters were interrupted by an obligatory control procedure. In the course of this short improvisation theater the visitors paintings were critizised and condemned to be litter. Finally the good spirits of activism and fighting peasants approached (clowns), animating the painters to resist and to save their plants from being thrown away. Finally, with united forces, the controller was caught and tossed to the bin.

For those being more attracted by food rather than fine arts, serigraphy on crepes with juice made from elder as ink served to wake the interest of passengers. The crepes, either made from conventionally grown or made from ecologically grown wheat, were imprinted with a barcode or with the logo of the campaign for seed sovereignty respectively.

In contrast to the beautiful stands and activities the resonance was rather modest. The most prominent guest was the minister of agriculture of Rhineland-Palatinate. She was very interested in the garden initiative „Feine Krume“, which organized a big portion of the activities, but unfortunately less open to speak about what's going on in seeds-legislation and the consequences in our little state. An example of how the baggy popularity of „urban gardening“ is covering the really important issues. In the end, we gave an interview for „radio quer“, a local broadcasting project located in Wiesbaden, but the processing is not yet finished (we will link the emission, when ready).

All other invited media did not show up, which was a bit disappointing. However, the activists in Mainz and Bingen are eager to bring the issue on the streets again!

Bruxelles / Brussels / Brüssel Bruxelas

Some 200 people joined the manifestation on 16 October in Brussels in front of the Sheraton hotel, where the ESA (European Seed Association) hold their annual meeting, initiated by ReSAP (Réseau de Soutien à l'Agriculture Paysanne belge). Dominique Guillet (Kokopelli) and Nick Bell (Campaign for Seed Sovereignty) spoke – among others. Some flowers were planted as a sybolic action and a lot of banners were shown, e.g. „Here as in India – resistance is fertile”

Le Vif: „Plus de 200 manifestants pour l'action "libérez nos semences! " à Bruxelles”

7sur7: „Manifestation pour "libérer nos semences!" à Bruxelles”

Here you find a Video on the action day with interveiws.

Lisboa / Lisbon / Lissabon / Lissebonne

GAIA: Relato do desfile pela Liberdade da Semente

Lisbon, 16^th of October 2012 - We delivered a bag of traditional barley seeds to the representatives from the CE in Portugal, together with the Seed Freedom declaration. We then performed an allusion to Delacroix's painting "Liberté guidant le peuple" with women in our performance simbolising fertility, women as natural seed keepers and keepers of diversity and sustainability. We covered our breasts with seeds and sang "Sinnerman" from Nina Simone, alluding to the corporations that are privatising our seeds. We distributed free seeds in small bags with our message to the people in the streets.

Lisboa, 16 de Outubro 2012 - No dia da soberania alimentar, mulheres e homens defensores de sementes juntaram-se num desfile performativo pela Baixa de Lisboa, retratando a “Maria Liberdade da Semente” - uma alusão ao quadro de Delacroix onde a mulher do povo, guia o povo. As mulheres, guardiãs naturais de sementes, guardiãs da fertilidade, da diversidade e da sustentabilidade, vestiram-se com roupas camponesas com sementes a tapar subtilmente o seio, e cantaram "Sinnerman" de Nina Simone, uma referência em forma de gospel à privatização das sementes pelas grandes corporações. Durante o percurso, foram distribuídos saquinhos de sementes tradicionais “livres”, uma variedade de centeio de Sintra.

Antes do desfile, a Campanha pelas Sementes Livres entregou um saco de sementes tradicionais juntamente com a Declaração para a Liberdade da Semente à representação da Comissão Europeia em Portugal.

Agenda de Actividades da Campanha pelas Sementes Livres

Wien / Vienna

Very heavy weather conditions in Vienna on 16^th October! But the activists met at the EPA office at Rennweg 12, showed their banners (among them: „Widerstand säen – Vielfalt ernten – Saatgutsouveränität!”) and handed over the petition. And they played their prepared street theater.

Berlin

Social Seeds - SaatgutERNTEfest am Samstag 13. Oktober im Allmende Kontor und im Glaspavillion des Lernort Natur
ZEIT: Samstag, 13. Oktober, 12-17 Uhr
ORT: Glaspavillion des Lernorts Natur, gegenüber dem Allmende Kontor, Tempelhofer Feld, vom Eingang Oderstraße, Gärten in Sichtweite, Anfahrt: UBahn Boddinstr.

Luxembourg

OCCUPY THE SEED
Actions citoyennes le 2, le 9 et le 16 octobre à 14 heures
devant les bâtiments de la cour de justice de l'EU
Rassemblement citoyen “SIT-IN “ et échange de graines sur le parvis des bâtiments de la Cour de Justice européenne au Luxembourg,
Kirchberg, Blv. Konnrad Adenauer
http://www.facebook.com/events/470592609637904/

SIT-IN und Saatgut Austausch auf dem Platz des EU Gerichtshofes
Luxembourg, Kirschberg, Blv Konnrad Adenauer.
Am 2, 9 und 16 Oktober, jeweils um 14Uh
http://www.facebook.com/events/364845653595848/

Greece / ΕΛΛΑΔΑ / Griechenland (Peliti / ΠΕΛΙΤΙ)

Drama Prefecture

10/10/12. Panagiotis Sainatoudis talked about seeds, food and nutrition at the local TV channel „Star Dramas” at the airing „Rural Voice” at 21:00.

11/10/12. Visiting of the primary school of Kallifito at the land of Peliti. Presentation at the children about Peliti?s actions on local varieties, food and nutrition.

12-13-14/10/12. Virgin Forest Trail 2012. Organized by the prefecture of Drama and the Municipality of Paranesti. Peliti had a stand, informing people about Peliti and seed sovereignty. Also happened ?resilient seed? booklet distribution and a demonstration of recipes (homemade „merenda” and herbal salt).

Etoloakarnania Prefecture

12/10/12. Festival for the World Freedom of Food (at primer school of Peratia). Organized by the local team of Peliti at Peratia. The festival included seed swapping, exchange of knowledge and ideas and cooking of local varieties products.

Kozani Prefecture

14/10/12. 1st autumn seed festival organized by the local team of peliti at Kozani. The festival included seed distribution and workshops about how to make sweets, pickles, salted preserves, and also face and hand creams and push broom, all with natural ingredients.

Attica Prefecture

14/10/12. Autumn festival for the seed freedom at Aegina Island. Organized by the local team of Peliti at Aegina Island. The festival included film presentation about the actions in Brussels on 2011, instructions about homemade compost and presentation of the new edition of Peliti „Localities of farms 2012-2013”:

14/10/12. At the cooperative café at Akadimia Patonos: collective cooking, seed distribution, speeches, presentation of the films „a seed for change” and „resilient seeds” and also music.

16/10/12. At the collective „Nea Guinea”: traditional vegetables seeds planting, workshop how to keep your own seed, seed distribution, presentation of the film „a seed for change” and a film about the actions in Brussels on 2011:

At „Nea Guiea” on 16/10

19-20-21/10/12. 1st festival on solidarity economy. Peliti will have a stand informing about the actions of Peliti, seed sovereignty and ?resistant seeds? booklet distribution. Will also happen a demonstration of various food recipes.

España / Spanien / Spain