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There is no guarantee that the seed trade will continue to willingly provide a broad range of seed 

 varieties which can be grown in abundance in the many diverse areas of the world. It would be 

 more attractive for the companies to limit the varieties for profit. Those who would suffer from 

 these limits would be family farmers world-wide who would see their costs increase and their 

 seed choices decrease. 



Finally, at this time no other country has signed the UPOV agreement. The document was 

 completed in 1 99 1 . The fact that this much time has passed and no other country has seen tit to 

 sign it, should cause the United States to become skeptical of the real values and goals of the 

 document. 



NFU is justifiably proud of the leadership American agriculture enjoys world wide, but our 

 members also have many concerns. Not the least of our concerns is the increasing regularity 

 with which the U.S. government willingly puts American family farmers at the mercy of 

 international agreements and corporate conglomerates, making it easier for others to reach into 

 farmers' pockets to remove more dollars from their often inadequate bottom line. 



NFU leaves you with three questions: 



If no other country has chosen to put their farmers at risk by signing the UPOV. why 

 should we? 



Except for a very few seed companies voicing concerns, where is the outcry for changing 

 the U.S. Plant Variety Protection Act of 1980? 



Who really benefits from the proposed changes? 



Thank you. 



