Author: Jeremy Cherfas

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Some Swiss resisting EU seed juggernaut

We’ve written before about how EU regulations and directives threaten the survival of agricultural biodiversity (and this is as good a place as any to start). Now, alas, the Swiss, in an effort to “simplify trade with EU neighbours,” are planning to emulate their neighbours’ one-size-fits-all approach to regulation and install a certification catalogue of their own.

Can we just remind the Swiss authorities of that old chestnut about those who don’t understand history being condemned to repeat it?

Personally, I have absolutely nothing against seed certification systems, as long as they aren’t monolithic. Customers should be free to purchase whatever varieties they want, certified or otherwise, at their own risk. Anything else is indefensible.

Fortunately, Pro Specie Rara is on hand to campaign against this silliness. We can but hope that the eminently reasonable Swiss will listen to reason, and gain lasting fame among diversity enthusiasts everywhere for more than the cuckoo clock.

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Pawnee corn pix

Our friend Karen Williams at the USDA writes:

The story of the Pawnee maize is fascinating! You have probably seen the display cases in Beltsville of the collection of maize varieties. Years ago, David and I were involved in getting all the samples photographed. Attached are photos of the 3 samples identified as Pawnee varieties. You are welcome to post these to your blog, if you think they are of interest.

[nggallery id=3]

Unfortunately, the display cases are so old (1930s or earlier) that no documentation on their history exists. We don’t even know who collected them. They predate the NPGS so there are no corresponding germplasm samples.

So lets really push our luck here, and ask whether anyone out there has any information about the USDA’s display case collections?

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Bad news from Tehran

In addition to everything else, it seems that the Turkman horse is under threat of extinction. ((And, yes, I know that this is no joking matter. But still.)) The problem seems to be interbreeding with Throughbreds, and owners unwilling to risk pure-bred Turkmen horses, which are expensive, in races where there is a risk of injury and prize money is low. According to one expert:

Iranian horses have unique features such as smartness, nobility, special physical conditions and high endurance level which cannot be observed in any of the imported horses.

Among the proposals to save the Turkmen horse are a genebank (not sure how that would work) and a breed register, which would probably require DNA testing for individuals.

The Byerly Turk
The Byerly Turk

One thing puzzles me. In the very restricted genetic bottleneck that resulted in the English Thoroughbred is a fine animal known as The Byerly Turk. Was it really a Turk? Wikipedia thinks not. More to the point, one can only be grateful that the English did not decry all that messy genetic pollution that gave rise to the English Thoroughbred.

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New LEISA mag online

A new edition of LEISA magazine is online, with it’s usual eclectic selection of articles, this time dedicated to the farmer as entrepreneur. It isn’t the most user-friendly site, but we did a bit of work and singled out a few articles.

Anything else you think we should link to specifically?