Lots of people started questioning the accountability of Burpee Seeds. It started when the part of the Council of Responsible Genetics, the Safe Seed Pledge strongly requested the Burpee Seeds to pledge that they do not sell or buy any genetically engineered plants or seeds, but they were absent. They are not the only company asked to take the oath, but they are among the few that were absent during. This has been interpreted as a negative intention by the public. But to know more about the Burpee Seeds, let us take a little tour to its history.
The Burpee Seeds was owned by George Ball Jr. He was born around Chicago in 1951. He started Burpee in 1991 but was already known as a scion in the seed business as he was part of the Ball Horticulture Co and before we was working for the Pan American Seeds. Apparently he was not the only one in the business as his father and uncle were also in the business by owning the Peto Seed Company.
Burpee is a big seed company with history as old as 135 years and George Ball understands completely that a company that big will be the target of unwanted criticisms. But Burpee is not an instantly huge seed company. Burpee started the business as a poultry breeder and was then in the seed business because their farmers said that they had problems with seeds delivery. Burpee knew that he could not count on the European seed imports and then he started to develop seeds for the gardeners and also the American farmers. Needless to say, he started his business with great goal, that is to help people.
When Mr. Ball was asked why he did not participate in the signing of the oath from safe Seed Pledge in an interview, he simply answered that he had never heard of the Safe Seed Pledge and the organization behind it, therefore he did not sign it. This gesture did not mean that Burpee Seeds was not complying to the oath, it simply meant that the company did not want to dignify something that came from organization that was never heard of. After all, Mr. Ball claimed that he bought the seeds that were genetically from the Peto Seeds lines. It only means that the seeds from the Burpee have never undergone any genetically engineered changes and they also said that their seed were as safe as ever.
