An Evening with Percy Schmeiser

G.E. Free Kootenays and Kootenay Food Strategy Society presents
 
AN EVENING WITH PERCY SCHMEISER
 
… and featuring MLA Corky Evans, Deconstructing Dinner’s Jon Steinman and G.E. Free Kootenays’ Andy Morel.

Date: July 10, 2008
Time: 7pm (doors at 6:30pm)
Where: Brilliant Cultural Centre, 1876 Brilliant Road, Castlegar, B.C.
Admission: By donation (with proceeds going towards G.E. Free Kootenays)
PERCY SCHMEISER IN CASTLEGAR – JULY 10
Canadian farmer triumphs over agricultural giant Monsanto and will arrive in the Kootenays to tell the story.
 
Press Release
06.27.08

CASTLEGAR, June 27 – It’s not often that farmers reach celebrity status, however, on July 10, the Kootenay Food Strategy Society will be welcoming one of the most celebrated farmers in the world.

Since 1998, Saskatchewan’s Percy Schmeiser and his wife Louise have been waging a classic David versus Goliath struggle against one of the most influential multinational agricultural corporations – Monsanto.

Their ongoing battles have reached such international recognition, that in Decemer 2007, the Schmeisers became the recipients of the Right Livelihood Award; often referred to as the “alternative Nobel”. The award was presented in honour of the Schmeiser’s 'courage in defending biodiversity and farmers' rights, and challenging the environmental and moral perversity of current interpretations of patent laws'.
They now join the ranks of Maude Barlow (Council of Canadians), Vandana Shiva (Civil Rights Advocate) and Francis Moore-Lappé (Diet for a Small Planet).

Since the mid 1990s, the food supply of Canada has become increasingly dominated by genetically engineered (G.E.) foods. The process of transgenic engineering involves the placement of DNA from one species or kingdom into the cells of another. Such processes do not take place within nature and the technology has expectedly received global opposition since its introduction.

Today, it is said that over three quarters of foods on grocery store shelves contain G.E. ingredients. Most Canadians remain completely unaware of their presence. With the technology having not received any long-term safety studies, Canadians have become the product of one of the largest human feeding studies in history. The foods/ingredients that are most often genetically engineered are corn, soy and canola. These crops represent the foundation for most foods consumed today including soft drinks, breakfast cereals, oil-based foods, dairy, meat and eggs among others.

Among the many environmental and health concerns of G.E. foods, farmers’ rights are also of great concern to people like Percy Schmeiser.

Benefiting heavily from the genetic engineering of foods are the corporations developing the seeds. Of the handful of multinational seed developers, St. Louis, Missouri’s Monsanto is the world’s largest. Upon patenting the seed technologies, companies like Monsanto demand that farmers who purchase their seed sign agreements that prohibit the farmer from saving their seed for the following year. Seed saving is a practice and right that has existed for millennia, and even before Schmeiser hit the media spotlight, he was one of the most well-known seed savers of Canola.

While it would be comforting to believe that farmers could have a choice to plant either G.E. or non-G.E. varieties of these crops, Schmeiser is one of thousands of farmers worldwide who has learned that such freedoms are not afforded to all farmers.

In 1998, Schmeiser was contacted by Monsanto, who, after trespassing onto his fields to collect samples, accused him of knowingly planting their Roundup Ready brand of Canola without having purchased the seed. Schmeiser insisted that if the planted seeds were indeed the property of Monsanto, then the seeds must have inadvertently landed on his field through cross-contamination. Such a scenario is not only likely, but a frequent occurrence on Canada’s prairies.

Following years of legal battles, in 2004 the Supreme Court of Canada finally ruled 5-4 in favour of Monsanto. The decision sent shockwaves to farmers around the world because it solidified that a corporation can indeed own a lifeform.

The battle has continued up until today with yet another incident sparked in 2005. However, this time Schmeiser was the victor, when on March 19, 2008, Monsanto paid him $660 in an out-of-court settlement. While the sum was small, the message was powerful, and Schmeiser has since been touring the world sharing his story of this victory.

Schmeiser will be bringing his story to the Kootenays on July 10 at an event to be held in Castlegar. Hosted by the Kootenay Food Strategy Society, the evening will introduce the G.E. Free Kootenays campaign - a sub-group that will begin working to ensure that farmers in the Kootenay regions of B.C. will never have to endure the pressure and intimidation faced by farmers like Percy Schmeiser.

This event will encourage Kootenay residents to take action to ensure such crops are not grown in our regional foodshed. Most importantly, the campaign will ensure that viable alternatives are available to farmers currently growing G.E. crops.

Also speaking at the event will be MLA Corky Evans and G.E. Free spokesperson Andy Morel. A question and answer period will end the evening and be facilitated by Deconstructing Dinner’s Jon Steinman.

The event is being sponsored by Deconstructing Dinner, West Kootenay EcoSociety, Wildisght, Kootenay Country Store Co-operative, Greenpeace, Society for a G.E. Free BC, Mountain Equipment Co-op, GE Free Solutions, Kootenay Co-op Radio and the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network.
 
For more information or to help spread the word, visit the events page at www.kootenayfood.ca

Website: www.kootenayfood.ca

Cost: donations accepted

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