New Zealand to make gardening illegal

[auroraglacialis]

NZ Food Security
(via New food bill in New Zealand takes away human right to grow food )

Just saw this now, it seems this is in the making for months now. As I read this, they want to make it a lot harder for people to grow their own food or at least to give that food to their neighborhoods. At the same time here in Germany and in the US there are increasing initiatives to encourage people to grow food and to create community vegetable gardens, New Zealand seems to go the other way.

[Marvellous Chester]

What the hell?

The law applies only where it can be enforced, this is never going to work and I'm really surprised at New Zealand

'By controlling seeds, the bill takes the power to grow food away from the public and puts it in the hands of seed companies. That power may be abused.'

This interests me greatly, seeds come from the existing plants not out of a packet :/

[Tsyal Makto]

Just another example of how Big Agribusiness has such a chokehold on governments. I thought New Zealand was more progressive than that, though? To cave to the interests of big business? Though from the sounds of it, they were being strong-armed by the WTO, and I parish the thought of just how much corporate infestation is there. I wonder how long it is until they try to pass something like this here in the US?

And these two points are exceptionally troubling.

- Under the Food Bill, Police acting as Food Safety Officers can raid premises without a warrant, using all equipment they deem necessary – including guns (Clause 265 – 1).

- Members of the private sector can also be Food Safety Officers, as at Clause 243. So Monsanto employees can raid premises – including marae – backed up by armed police.

[Cyvaris]

Occupy New Zealand!!!

[txim_asawl]

That so-called "food security act" has indeed rocked boats big time:

"Food minister Kate Wilkinson has said the bill inadvertently captured activities it should not have and she had sought advice on amendments to ensure seed banks were not disrupted. (...) Green list MP Steffan Browning, who lives in Marlborough, says members of the select committee considering the original bill had been so busy responding to submissions they did not consider some of the implications it contained. There would "definitely" be changes.

Introduced into Parliament in May 2010 to replace the Food Act 1981, the bill is yet to proceed to its second reading, meaning it faces several hurdles before becoming law."
(Source: Food protests sowing panic | Stuff.co.nz )

So, there already is some protest and it has caused politicians to try and repair the damage they've done by publishing that bill. Kind of like trying to lead the elephant from the china shop by making him tip-toe...

I wonder, if at some point, there will be regular police raids on organic food stores like the one captured by a security camera at an organic foods coop in California:

It's a mad, mad, mad world...

Wiggling bare toes,

~*Txim Asawl*~

[auroraglacialis]

"Free Trade" and "Deregulation" - just not for the small store owners. As always. So Monsanto is allowed in the US to press charges against people who advertise their food as "GMO free" but people are not allowed to choose if they want to eat raw honey or raw milk. This is misusing the idea of a democratic governance to its extreme. The purpose of a democratic government is to represent the interests of the people and give them freedom, choice and equal opportunities. It is not there to represent the interests of so-called "legal persons" in the shape of corporation or organizational entities and claim that by helping them, in the end one does help all people.
"One person - one vote", not "one dollar - one vote"!
#OccupyNewZealand indeed

[Human No More]

Seems like a case of overbroad interpretation bringing bad wording to light. It's not a case of 'da guv'mint tryin' ta take mah garden!'