plant variety protection

David Riecks (RIECKSD@idea.ag.uiuc.edu)
Thu, 30 Sep 1993 05:31:00 CST

I am working with Shan Thomas of the Institute for Agricultural
Biodiversity in Decorah, IA. We have just submitted testimony on
behalf of IAB, the NFU and NFO, to the Senate Subcommittee reviewing
amending legislation for the Plant Variety Protection Act. This
legislation is ill-advised and will lead to higher seed prices for
farmers and ultimately fewer choices of seed, thus flying in the face
of sustainable agriculture. We would be willing to send copies of the
7-page testimony and bibliography to interested parties.

We would welcome any recent anecdotal or statistical data regarding
plant variety protection for future stages of our educational
campaign. We would also welcome support of any kind whether it be in
information dissemination or financial assistance as IAB is a
non-profit. Recent information on the loss of diversity in livestock,
and vertical integration/concentration of the ag industry would also
be appreciated for our other two campaigns.

Send requests and/or replies to Anna Barnes c/o
Riecks@uiuc.edu@internet
If you prefer, you can call Shan at IAB at 319-382-5947, or myself at
217/384-6572.