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SERIOUS
MISCHIEF
Recently, Britain's Labor
Prime Minister Tony Blair ordered Prince Charles to shut down his royal
Web site. The prince refused point blank the prime minister's command.
The Prince
is speaking out about Monsanto's international PR and lobbying blitzkrieg
on behalf of GM (genetically modified crops)--called
GE in the U.S. (genetically
engineered crops). He wants to encourage lively debate.
Monsanto
is making $1.5 billion a year from bovine growth hormone, rBGH, according
to Alexander Cockburn of the Nation, who says "the haul from Monsanto's
Round-Up Ready soybeans, potatos and corn and its terminator seeds could
be tens of billions more." The European Union has been opposed
to allowing these products into its markets, but with recent arm wringing
from U.S. politiicians such as President Clinton and V.P. Gore, the
E.U. has relented.
Cockburn
chided the prince's "cosmic holism and organic communitarianism"
but that is another way of saying the prince may be seeing the big picture.
Those qualities win him the Dendrite Forest Award for
RADICAL
CONNECTIVITY
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The Prince of Wales asks: Is genetically modified food an innovation
we can do without?
A selection of your email responses appears below.
Ed Tremayne, of Bexhill on Sea, UK, said:
The idea seems to be going around in scientific circles that, because
something is possible, it's for the general public to make a case for
not doing it. Actually, it's the other way around. Scientists have to
make a powerful case if they want to justify interfering with the forces
of nature, and so far no such case seems to have been remotely made
out for a programme of genetic modification.
Benny Haerlin, of Berlin, Germany, said:
I could not have put the questions better than you have. And the answers
of my organisation, Greenpeace, are probably well known. We strongly
believe that genetically modified organisms, be it plants, micro-organisms
or animals, should not be released into the environment at this point
of scientific knowledge and cultural adaptation of our societies to
the impacts of this new technology. Governments should act and ban or
at least put a moratorium on such releases. We all can do something
about it by not buying genetically engineered food and demanding full
information about how our food is produced. You also belong to the comparatively
small group of big landowners, many of whom have a tradition of caring
for this land over many generations. I believe that this tradition has
something special to offer to the rather short term oriented discussions
about agriculture. And I would believe that a joint European initiative
of traditional landowners to exclude the use of GMOs on their estates,
might be an important contribution to the present debate. Such an initiative
for precaution, which would probably start with a commitment, not to
use GMOs in one generation in order to fully assess the impacts, would
certainly appeal as well to many of your neighbours in a different way
than rather urban environmentalists ever could.
Lisa Blackler, of Letchworth, UK, said:
I find the whole idea of GM foods disturbing, especially since many
are not labelled. How can anyone say with real confidence that they
are safe in the long term? How can we know the effects on both human
biology and the environment? I believe that there should be a ban on
the growing and use of GM foods while more debate takes place. If we
do not make the right choices now, then who knows what the long term
problems might be. It is an insult to our intelligence that such foods
are sold unlabelled and we are expected not to complain or be concerned,
which is why I now purchase organic food wherever possible.
Joan Waterson, of London, UK, said:
Scientists seem to be demanding blind trust on the part of consumers
and I don't feel their track record merits it. Until recently I was
pessimistic about our chances of achieving any success in this campaign
because the opposition seemed so mighty, but now I believe we really
can say "Stop". After all, supermarkets need us. Let's keep up the pressure.
Michel Somville, of Belgium, said:
I send you the motion about GMO adopted by the Euro-African Green Conference,
Nairobi, Kenya, 3-5 December 1998. Green delegates from 25 countries,
representing the Green movement in Africa, Europe and the Americas,
and meeting in Nairobi for the Euro-African Green Conference, expressed
their deep concern over the threats to the environment and the security
of peoples by the scientific progress and breakthroughs in genetic engineering
on food crops.
While this process could be used for the benefit of mankind, patenting
of life forms and acquiring monopolies on bio-engineered seeds are threatening
farming systems and the well-being of entire communities.
One of the most important responsibilities of any state is to feed,
shelter and protect its citizens. Food insecurity has increasingly become
a major threat to the poor and the weak states and their citizens. If
this trend is allowed to continue, most people in the world will become
dependent on just a handful of companies which will have the monopoly
of food seeds and indeed of life itself.
Of particular concern is the development and promotion of the so-called
'terminator' technology by multinational enterprises. Many African farmers
get their seeds from their governments. If governments allow these companies
to introduce the 'terminator' seeds in their countries, farmers will
only produce sterile seeds and will become completely dependent on these
multinational enterprises for their survival. Therefore, the Nairobi
Green Conference strongly condemns any attempts to undermine food security
of farmers and communities, patenting of life forms and the acquisition
of monopolies.
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