Permaculture – by Maddy Harland
Monsanto is buying up heirloom seed companies and trademarks. Maddy Harland discovers who is buying what and how to avoid Monsanto. She explores why what we buy can be a form of positive activism.
The NM Tree and Garden Center located in Rio Rancho, New Mexico has discovered that Monsanto is buying heirloom seed companies. They are also buying the trademarks to a number of heirloom seeds. This means that you may think you are supporting an heirloom seed company but in reality the company is owned by Monsanto. The seeds themselves are still non-GMO and heirloom and they can be saved at the end of the harvest and resown next season, but you are still giving money to Monsanto.
Monsanto are also buying trademarks so that no matter where you buy certain seeds, they get money from it. Here is a LINK to the trademarks and seed companies Monsanto supply and ones that they do not supply in the USA.
Here’s some tips on how to avoid Monsanto.
We need to all do our research when buying seeds (or any organically labelled product for that matter).
In Europe we have witnessed a proactive corporate programme to buy up ethical/organic companies.L’Oreal now own The Body Shop and have a poor record for animal testing. Green and Blacks fair trade chocolate were bought in 2006 by Cadbury who were then acquired by Kraft Foods, one of the huge food multi-nationals. Rachel’s Organic, founded by Welsh farmers, is now a subsidiary of French company Lactalis.
This is a deliberate strategy – so much so that Triodos Bank actually have a European fund to help small organic companies stay independent and resist being bought up.
Why are small organic/heirloom marques being acquired by the big global corporates? Firstly, there is a commercial market for them. Secondly, what you own you can control. Thirdly, if you are a vast industrial magnate and own one of these companies you can marginalise its market if you wish.
Ethics in Action
As consumers we have the power to first support our local producers and make sure they stay in business. Then we need to support larger ethical, organic companies like Yeo Valley who produce organic dairy products and still remain independently owned by the family who started the company. Sometimes this means spending more money on a product. But we have a choice: Do we want to eat a chocolate bar with cacao picked by children in a system that pays the farmer a subsistence wage or do we want an artisanal bar that costs much more but tastes better and is fairly traded? Do we buy yoghurt from a large corporate who is trading under an acquired organic brand or from a local supplier or a family owned national organic supplier?
Permaculture is all about Earthcare, Peoplecare and Fair shares. It is therefore not only about what we grow but what we buy. Shopping is a form of activism. We all do it to a greater or lesser degree. We have to activate our consciences.
About The NM Tree and Garden Center
The NM Tree and Garden Center is a small nursery located in Rio Rancho. NMT & GC is owned by a husband and wife partnership who have always loved gardening and growing. Everything they grow is organic and sustainable. All their seeds are heirloom and will never be GMO. We hope this blog will inspire you to start growing your own food and planting trees. Contact us with any questions and for ordering information.
Monsanto Takeover in Europe
Europe may have opened the gates to Monsanto to grow genetically modified crops. Due to an accepted proposal by the EU Environment Council last week, GM crops could be planted across Europe as soon as next year.
Even worse, the proposal could give Monsanto and other biotech giants the power to overturn decisions made by democratically-elected governments to ban GM crops.
The European Parliament can still reject this decision. With MEPs voting on the issue soon, we need to make sure they hear from citizens across the continent to reject this Monsanto-backed proposal. Sign THIS PETITION to show our MEPs this is not what Europe wants.
http://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/monsanto-buys-heirloom-seed-suppliers
“They are also buying the trademarks to a number of heirloom seeds.”
Are the owners INSANE?
“The seeds themselves are still non-GMO and heirloom and they can be saved at the end of the harvest and resown next season, but you are still giving money to Monsanto.”
Non-GMO, but once they ‘own’ it all, count on seed prices to go through the roof. And DON’T count on any ‘truth in advertising’ from THIS Satanic corporation. You’ll never know for sure if it’s GMO or not.
This is EXTREMELY bad news.
Amish are not selling to Monsanto. It’s always best to buy everything you can from Amish anyhow. They don’t collect sales tax, and they ask fair prices.
I won’t sell or buy a dog from Amish. They are noted being cruel to animals and keep dogs in cages. I see websites in Amish country that say they won’t sell to Amish. Other than that, I’ve not heard anything bad about them.
What matters more to you, dogs or people?
Why does one have to decide between them (people or dogs)?
No idea what you are talking about there. I know a several churches in my area so well that they give me the Amish price. They do not keep their dogs in any confinement nor are they cruel to any animal.
Dam glad i have stocked up before this,, but still not good news going forward
Thanks for the post Wade. Printed the list of those not owned by Monsanto.
Monsanto “Code of Ethics”? What’s that? Everyone involved will be dealt with, severely. We can’t just plant the politicians. Corporations are humanity’s demise, not the politicians.
Slight typo in this article.
“Monsanto buys up Heroin loom seed suppliers”.
Monsanto creates poppy seeds that are Roundup resistant.
What will we do about Monsanto execs before they all burn in hell? We could burn ’em at the stake, that would not make up for anything, but it would be a nice display and forewarning to the rest of the corporate greedy fu(k#r$ we ain’t got to yet.
Gee, Millard…
We could use their own poisonous vegetative matter to fuel the fire at the base of that stake, for one. One might also force-feed vast quantities of their own poisonous frankenstein produce to them and give them nothing but Round-Up® swill mixed with gasoline to wash it down. Would make for a more colorful send-off before they met the eternal fire that awaits them.
Just a thought….
How about Roundup enemas for the Monsanto team.
It might not stop the the bleeding sht coming out of their ass.
But at least they won’t have to worry about weeds sprouting out of there bungholes either.
Its a win win situation.
There won’t be no daisies gettin’ pushed up neither.
Write your representatives and stop monopolies that crush biodiversity and competition. It’s called anti-trust laws in the USA. Biological diversity is crucial to species health, it’s crucial to global diversity and it’s also crucial for your own health.
If we lose more species diversity our health and future generations will suffer — this is something that we cannot recover from once it’s gone.
for example:
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/45069/title/Gut-Microbes-Need-Fiber–Too/
Uh….write who? We have no representation in this country….do you mean those f#@ks occupying our capitol building? Those representatives of who ever greases their palm the most? Oh, you mean those agents of Monsonto? Write those people? Well I guess even they need a good laugh every now and then. I have better ways to spend my time like …cleaning my rifles, rigging nooses, practice reloading magazines as quickly as possible, building relationships with people who will actually help us survive what the global terrorists (elite) have in store for us.
Yup Marushka, I’m certain they’ll “get right on it” as soon as you point it out to them. Yes, the concern is real, them “giving a shit” is the problem when they’re swappin’ spit on each other’s genitals between lines of cocaine.
These are the same “bought off” politicians that allowed the status quo.
Monsatan can’t get in through the front, they’ll attempt to sneak in the back.
The goal is to erase small farms forever off the face of america.
Seeds will be too expensive and will probably be modified. And if you save seeds and replant next season you’ll be sued out of existence by monsatan.
Just one more facet of ‘jew’ control in their parasitic, psychopathic, war on the american people.
control of host government – check
control of military – check
control of money creation/distribution – check
control of education – check
control of land – check
control of media – nearly (internet, temporary set-back)
control of food – nearly
control of arms – hopefully, never.
Arms are the only thing keeping the ‘jews’ from genociding white america.
-flek
flek, when I look at your list, it just pisses me off to no end. How could we have been “snookered” so easily and why do we allow it to continue? I don’t get it. Problem identified, perpetrators fingered, guilt established, all that’s left to do is drop the gavel and get a rope. What’s so damned hard about that?