ActionAid is launching the SeedRights campaign to mark World Food Day
(16 Oct) and we're keen to share it with you, and hope that you may
take action with groups from across the world.

The campaign aims to pressurize key negotiators at the WTO TRIPs
Council in Geneva to ensure Farmers' Rights to save, use, exchange and
sell seed.

We're targeting negotiators from the US, Canada, EU and Japan, and
hope to influence the next TRIPs council meeting on 25 November 2002.

We hope groups from around the world will send a short letter or fax it
to
one of the negotiators on a specially-designed 'SeedRights' headed
notepaper to make the point that global patenting rules threaten the
livelihoods of 1.4billion farmers by eroding their rights to save,
use, exchange and sell farm-saved seed.

We're approach 1,000 groups, but many more are already contacting us
and joining in.

We can send you a hard copy of the headed paper and our spoof 'seed
packet'- we're hoping that all groups will use the same headed paper
to achieve consistency and campaign impact - or you can download the
template letter and information from www.actionaid.org.

If you want to get involved, please email  davinder@actionaid.org.uk or
call Food rights campaigner Alex Wijeratna on tel: + 44 207 561 7613
and
we can send you the SeedRights seed pack.

If you know of likeminded groups who may be interested in the
SeedRights initiative, please germinate and pass this note on or let
ActionAid know.
best wishes from London.

alex wijeratna
actionaid
food rights campaign coordinator