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FW: Food Supply Update: June 5, '98
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From
: CK Valois/B Brummitt <lilacmn@eot.com>
To
: permaculture@listserv.oit.unc.edu
Subject
: FW: Food Supply Update: June 5, '98
Date
: Thu, 11 Jun 1998 19:04:57 -0500 (CDT)
This was sent to me...curious as to whether it is true or not...
Bruce
Cheryl Valois and Bruce Brummitt
<lilacmn@eot.com>
46N56' 95W20'
Visit the Natural Building Gallery
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http://www.zianet.com/blackrange
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----------
From: buchner@wcta.net (David Buchner)
To: lilacmn@eot.com
Subject: Food Supply Update: June 5, '98
Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1998 11:38:14 -0500
A little something to help you sleep better, in case you haven't already
read it somewhere else...
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Newsgroups: misc.rural
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Subject: Food Supply Update: June 5, '98
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Date: 05 Jun 1998 22:31:38 EDT
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Organization: The Ark Institute
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Food Supply Update: June 5, 1998
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Seed Terminator and Mega-Merger Threaten Food and Freedom
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Copyright © 1998, by Geri Guidetti
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There have been times in human history when the line between genius and
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insanity was so fine that it was barely perceptible. In the world of
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biotechnology and food, that line has just been obliterated.
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Announcements made over the past 90 days suggest that an ingenius
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scientific achievement and subsequent, related business developments
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threaten to terminate the natural, God-given right and ability of
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people everywhere to freely grow food to feed themselves and others.
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Never before has man created such an insidiously dangerous, far-reaching
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and potentially "perfect" plan to control the livelihoods, food supply
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and even survival of all humans on the planet. Overstatement? Judge for
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yourself.
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On March 3, 1998, the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the
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Delta and Pine Land Company, a Mississippi firm and the largest cotton
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seed company in the world, announced that they had jointly developed and
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received a patent (US patent number 5,723,765) on a new, agricultural
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biotechnology. Benignly titled, "Control of Plant Gene Expression", the
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new patent will permit its owners and licensees to create sterile seed
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by cleverly and selectively programming a plants DNA to kill its own
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embryos. The patent applies to plants and seeds of all species. The
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result? If saved at harvest for future crops, the seed produced by
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these plants will not grow. Pea pods, tomatoes, peppers, heads of wheat
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and ears of corn will essentially become seed morgues. In one broad,
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brazen stroke of his hand, man will have irretrievably broken the plant
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- to - seed - to - plant - to - seed - cycle, THE cycle that supports
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most life on the planet. No seed, no foodunlessunless you buy more
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seed. This is obviously good for seed companies. As it turns out, it
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is also good for the US Department of Agriculture.
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In a recent interview with RAFI, the Canada-based Rural Advancement
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Foundation International, US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
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spokesman, Willard Phelps, explained that the USDA wants this
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technology to be "widely licensed and made expeditiously available to
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many seed companies." The goal, he said, is "to increase the value of
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proprietary seed owned by US seed companies and to open up new markets
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in Second and Third World countries." The USDA and Delta & Pine Land Co.
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have applied for patents on the terminator technology in at least 78
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countries!
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Once the technology is commercialized, the USDA will earn royalties of
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about 5% of net sales. "I think it will be profitable for USDA," Phelps
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said. (Royalties? Profits? For a Department of the US Federal
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Government? Whats wrong with this picture?)
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The Terminator Technology was created to prevent farmers from saving
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non-hybrid, open-pollinated or genetically altered seed sold by seed
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companies. Open-pollinated varieties of crops like wheat and
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ricestaples for most of the worlds populationare typical examples.
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The stated logic for Terminator Technology is simple, really. A seed
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company invests money to develop and produce new varieties of seed. It
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hopes to sell a lot of that seed to recoup monies spent on crop research
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and seed development, and then to realize a profit on their investment.
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Fair enough, it would seem, but there are BIG concerns around the world
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about how much profit, how much control many of these multinational seed
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companies actually seek. Many of their proprietary seeds are no more
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than genetically altered versions of older, reliable, conventionally
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bred strains that have been in the public domain for many, many years.
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Change a gene to give a seed resistance to some new strain of disease,
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the logic goes, and the seed no longer belongs to the people to grow
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and save as they like, but to the seed company. In the past several
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years the world community has been outraged as some multinational seed
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companies have brazenly tried to claim ownership of whole species of
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food plants based on the logic that they had altered a gene in a member
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of that species and, hence, now owned its whole genome!
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In a world of burgeoning population growth and, hence, demand for food,
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giant, multi-national seed companies hope to sell a lot of proprietary,
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genetically engineered seed. Food is a BIG business that will only get
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bigger, and they want farmers around the world to need to come back to
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them, year after year, to buy the seed and, in some cases, even the
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chemicals, to grow it. Plant patents, gene licensing agreements,
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intellectual property laws, investigations and lawsuits brought against
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farm families for infringing on a seed companys monopoly on seed
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varieties are some of the means now used to protect their interests.
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The new Terminator Technology could render even these modern, legal
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measures of control obsolete, as it is potentially so powerful, so
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effective and so flawless in its applicability that its corporate owners
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and licensees will literally have complete biological control over the
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food crops in which it is applied. Seed companies have been working
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hard to prevent farmers around the world from saving their own seed from
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plants originally grown with seed purchased from these companies. They
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are also trying to find ways to encourage farmers around the worldin
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the U.S., Europe and especially the huge market represented by farmers
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in South America, Mexico and Asia, to switch to genetically engineered,
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proprietary seed instead of relying on the eons-old practice of saving
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their own locally produced and conventionally bred seed. If they can
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produce and offer their "improved" seed cheaply enough to convince even
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poorer, Second and Third World farmers to switch, they will have
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captured much of the global market. The Terminator will ensure that
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this marketthese farmers and the communities and countries they
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feedwill be completely dependent on the company in order to continue
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to eat.
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There is another potential dark side to the Terminator. Molecular
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biologists reviewing the technology are divided on whether or not there
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is a risk of the Terminator function escaping the genome of the crops
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into which it has been intentionally incorporated and moving into
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surrounding open-pollinated crops or wild, related plants in fields
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nearby. The means of this "infection" would be via pollen from
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Terminator-altered plants. Given Natures incredible adaptability, and
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the fact that the technology has never been tested on a large scale, the
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possibility that the Terminator may spread to surrounding food crops or
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to the natural environment MUST be taken seriously. The gradual spread
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of sterility in seeding plants would result in a global catastrophe that
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could eventually wipe out higher life forms, including humans, from the
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planet.
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According to USDA researchers, they have spent about $190,000 over four
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years working on the joint project. (Yes, you and I supported this
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research.) For its share, the Delta & Pine Land Company has reportedly
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devoted $275,000 of in-house expenses, plus an additional $255,000.
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Combined, these dollars are a mere drop in the bucket compared to the
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potential profitability of the technology to its owners. According to
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USDAs Willard Phelps, the Delta & Pine Land Co. retains the option to
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exclusively license the jointly-developed technology. In its March 3rd
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press release, the company claimed that the new technology has "the
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prospect of opening significant worldwide seed markets to the sale of
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transgenic technology for crops in which seed currently is saved and
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used in subsequent plantings." In a recent communique, RAFI states:
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"If the Terminator Technology is widely utilized, it will give the
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multinational seed and agrochemical industry an unprecedented and
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extremely dangerous capacity to control the worlds food supply." That
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fear may be realized much sooner than anyone could have imagined.
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At the time of the March 3 announcement of the US government-supported
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technology, it was common knowledge that multinational seed and
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pesticides giant, Monsanto, was a minor (8%) shareholder in the Delta &
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Pine Land Co. The two jointly have a cotton seed venture in China. On
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May 11th, a mere nine weeks after the announcement of the Terminator
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Technology, Monsanto bought the Delta & Pine Land Co. and, with it,
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the complete control of the Terminator Technology. For an even bigger
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picture of the implications of this acquisition, heres a summary of
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some published information on Monsantos current agricultural holdings
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and activities:
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· The purchase of Delta & Pine now gives Monsanto an overwhelming 85%
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share of the US cotton seed market and a dominant global position in
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this crop.
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· On May 11th, Monsanto also announced the take-over of Dekalb, the
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second largest maize (corn) company in the US.
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· In January of 1997, Monsanto acquired Holdens Foundation Seeds. A
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company spokesman said at the time that its goal was to get its
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bioengineered seed on at least half of the then 40 million acres that
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Monsanto had access to via its acquisitions.
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It is estimated that 25-35% of US corn acreage is planted with Holdens
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products.
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The Holden and Dekalb acquisitions make Monsanto the dominant player in
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the
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corn market.
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· In November, Monsanto acquired Brazilian seed company, Sementes
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Agroceres. This acquisition gave Monsanto 30% of the Brazilian corn
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seed business. Brazilian
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farmers who have been breeding and saving their own seed for centuries
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are
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considered primary targets for terminator and apomictic (below) corn
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seed products.
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· On January 20th, the USDA won another patentno. 5,710,367covering
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"apomictic maize". This corn trait speeds hybrid seed production by
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allowing the plant to produce hybrid clones, lowering the price of
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hybrid seed. Third World farmers unable to afford more expensive hybrid
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seed could potentially buy these less expensive clones. Unlike other
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hybrids, apomictic corn can be regrown but its genetic uniformity
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(remember, clones) would make it more likely to lose its disease
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resistance more frequently, forcing farmers to buy seed more often.
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There are fears that Monsanto will obtain these license rights from the
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USDA. Monsantos recent corn company acquisitions and, now, near
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monopoly in corn, make this a critical concern.
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· A Washington connection, according to RAFI: "In the past two years, a
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number of high-ranking White House and USDA officials have left
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Washngton for the allure of Monsantos headquarters in St. Louis,
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Missouri."
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· "In October 1997, Monsanto and Millenium Pharmaceuticals (another
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US-based genomics company) announced a 5 year collaborative agreement
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worth over US $118 million, including the creation of a new Monsanto
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subsidiary with about 100 scientists to work exclusively with Millenium
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to use genomic technologies. The exclusive agreement is not limited to
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a single crop or geographic location it covers all crop plants in all
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countries. Monsanto considers the new subsidiary an integral part of
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its life sciences strategy and hopes to gain a competitive edge in the
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search for patentable and likely Terminator-able crop genes."
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· Monsanto has pioneered enforcement strategies for protection of its
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plant patents. Much of this pioneering has been centered on its
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genetically altered soybeans which have the ability to withstand
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spraying with the companys leading herbicide, Roundup. (Weeds and
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other native plants die, beans live.) In 1996 the company set a new
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precedent requiring farmers buying its genetically engineered "Roundup
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Ready Soybeans" to sign and adhere to the terms of its "1996 Roundup
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Ready Gene Agreement." Terms: The farmer must pay a $5 per bag
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"technology fee"; the farmer must give Monsanto the right to inspect,
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monitor and test his/her fields for up to 3 years; the farmer must use
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only Monsantos brand of the glyphosate herbicide it calls Roundup;
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the farmer must give up his/her right to save and replant the patented
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seed; the farmer must agree not to sell or otherwise supply the seed to
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"any other person or entity." The farmer must also agree, in writing,
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to pay Monsanto "...100 times the then applicable fee for the Roundup
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Ready gene, times the number of units of transferred seed, plus
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reasonable attorneys fees and expenses..." should he violate any
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portion of the agreement. The farmers outcry against the stringent
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inspection and monitoring of their private property caused Monsanto to
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modify that part of the agreement in 1997.
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· The company has used a similar licensing agreement for its genetically
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engineered cotton and, according to a spokeswoman, plans to introduce
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licensing agreements with all genetically engineered seeds Monsanto
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brings to market. These will include Roundup Ready canola (canola oil),
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corn, sugarbeets, etc. (Keep in mind that now Monsanto has Terminator
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Technology to license, as well. It is applicable to all food crops
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according to its primary inventor.)
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Four days ago, the scope of the potential impact of the Terminator
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Technology on global agriculture broadened explosively with the
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announcement that American Home Products Corporation (AHP) had agreed to
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buy Monsanto Co. for $33.9 billion in stock. "AHP," according to its
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press release, "is one of the worlds largest research-based
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pharmaceutical and health care products companies....It is also a global
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leader in vaccines, biotechnology, agricultural products and animal
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health care." Reuters reports that the acquisition will create "a
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powerful pharmaceutical company with a massive presence in the growing
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market for genetically engieered agricultural products."
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Actually, AHP is a family of companies including American Cyanamid,
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Cyamid Agricultural Products Group, Wyeth Ayerst, and others. It is the
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third largest in the US in herbicides, insecticides and fungicides but,
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with its acquisition of Monsanto, it is now estimated that the combined
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companies will become the largest agrochemical/life industries company
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in the world, beating Swiss global giant, Novartis. It does not take a
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giant mental leap to see the massive potential for the application and
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marketing of Monsantos Roundup Ready seed and licensing agreements and
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the Terminator Technology to an increasing number of companies and food
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crops. If the Terminator technology is not globally banned, its
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eventual incorporation into all genetically engineered and
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open-pollinated, non-hybrid food crops is predictable.
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As most of you are aware, I have often fretted in these pages about the
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vulnerabilities of our increasingly centralized, computer-based,
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bottom-line driven, large corporation-dominated food production,
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processing and distribution system. Extreme weather patterns, toxic
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waste-contaminated fertilizers, epidemic bacterial contamination of food
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and the year-2000 crash of computers responsible for keeping the whole,
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complex system running have been big concerns. I have warned you of
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the planned disappearance of non-hybrid, open-pollinated seedsseeds
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that let you retain the means of growing your own food if you want or
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need toseeds that ensure protective biodiversityseeds that may provide
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personal food security in insecure times. Now the Terminator threatens
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even these.
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Make no mistake about itwidespread global adoption of the newly
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patented Terminator Technology will ensure absolute dependence of
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farmers, and the people they feed, on multinational corporations for
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their seed and food. Dependence does not foster freedom. On the
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contrary, dependence fosters a loss of freedom. Dependence does not
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increase personal power, it diminishes it. When you are dependent, you
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relinquish control. History is full of examples of peoples and cultures
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who lost fundamental freedomswho were controlledby their need for
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food. This shouldnt happen to Second and Third World farmers. It
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shouldnt happen in any of the 78 countries in which the patent has been
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applied for. It shouldnt happen here.
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The Terminator Technology is brilliant science and arguably "good
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business", but it has crossed the linethe tenuous line between genius
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and insanity. It is a dangerous, bad idea that should be banned.
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Period..........Geri Guidetti, The Ark Institute
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**********************************************************************
>
Visit The Ark Institutes web site @
http://www.arkinstitute.com
for
>
archived Food and Grain Supply Updates. To be placed on Geri
>
Guidettis free Food Supply Update email list, send an email with "list"
>
in the subject box to: arkinst@concentric.net
>
To receive a free email catalog, write "catalog" in the subject box.
>
Mailing address: The Ark Institute, PO Box 142, Oxford, Ohio 45064
--
David
buchner@wcta.net
http://www.wcta.net/buchner
Osage, MN, USA
FW: Food Supply Update: June 5, '98
,
CK Valois/B Brummitt, 06/11/1998
Re: Terminator technology
,
gardenbetty, 06/12/1998
Re: Terminator technology
,
Sal, 06/12/1998
<Possible follow-up(s)>
RE: Food Supply Update: June 5, '98
,
John Schinnerer, 06/11/1998
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