"State regulation extinguishes biodiversity," Dr. Shiva explains in a 2008 paper , "and pushes all farmers into dependency on patented, corporate seed. Such compulsory licensing has been the main vehicle of destruction of biodiversity and farmers rights in U.S. and Europe."





Shiva regards seeds as the embodiment of democracy, in their natural abundance and diversity. TRIPS legitimizes monopoly, forbidding farmers to save seeds. Cargill (now owned by Monsanto, she asserted) hailed its GM seeds because they prevented bees from "usurping the pollen." And we wonder where the bees have gone.





"The aim of the seed industry is a trillion dollars of profits from royalties every year. The aim is no farmer should have access to their own seed. The aim is every farmer should be forced into the market every year.





"You can only do that by using multiple instruments of control over the seed. The first instrument ... is the intellectual property laws covering both patents as well as breeder's rights..."





She scoffs at the absurdity of patent laws that recognize manipulation as akin to invention. A seed is not an invention. The seed was here before humans. "All you can do with a seed is manipulate it. Manipulation has never been treated as creation. It's often treated as cruelty. I would call GM cruelty to seed."









She spends a few moments discussing the Orwellian term "substantial equivalence." Mega-corporations assert intellectual property rights for manipulating nature into creating something "new" or "novel." But, don't worry, they tell us, it's not THAT new; it's 'substantially equivalent' to what nature created. Well, either it's a brand new invention (and thus patentable) or it's not. We are not swayed by the double speak of psychopathy.





Informed farmers in the US reject the slew of new bills requiring registration and disclosure of seeds and animals . Wisconsin farmer, Paul Griepentrog, has been involved in raising produce, livestock and direct marketing the past 30 years. He now collaborates with several groups and individuals to halt the sudden onslaught of "food safety" bills that seek to hyper-regulate the small and medium farms.

"Insane laws were passed [in Wisconsin] ... in which even a pile of hay or manure would be a punishable offense as they may harbor rodents. That sounds good, but how am I to store hay in round bales for livestock?"

Dr. Shiva explains the nefarious intent behind hyper-regulation of small and medium sized farms:





"You can only have a monopoly on seed thru patent if you have had a closure on the alternative supply. Because why on earth would farmers pay royalties every year if they could have free seed they could save year in and year out? To create that closure, the industry has evolved compulsory licensing and registration laws....





"This basically means farmers can't have their own seeds. They must only grow seeds that are licensed. They must have approval from the State."