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Canada pushes ‘suicide seed’ trials
Tom Sandborn TheTyee.ca February 14, 2005
Government advocacy of field testing for genetically modified sterile seeds is rebuked in Bangkok.
A Canadian government attempt to change United Nations policy on controversial genetically modified “terminator seeds” was defeated at a United Nations–sponsored gathering in Bangkok on Friday. Critics accused the Canadian representatives of promoting the commercialization of terminator seeds by advocating field trials at the UN meeting. The vote by a subsidiary group of the UN Convention on Biodiversity ended a week of heated debate that included a fiery final speech by Percy Schmeiser, the Canadian farmer known for his courtroom battles over genetically modified seed with bio-tech giant Monsanto.
“The Canadian government has acted shamefully,” Schmeiser told the UN delegates. “It is supporting a dangerous, anti-farmer technology that aims to eliminate the rights of farmers to save and re-use harvested seed. Instead of representing the goodwill of the Canadian people or attending to the best interests of the biodiversity treaty, the Canadian government is fronting for the multinational gene giants who stand to win enormous profits with the release of Terminator seeds around the world.” Stephen Yarrow, director of plant biological safety for the Canadian Food Inspection agency, disputes the way Canada’s position has been characterized by its critics at the meeting. Yarrow said the Canadian government has never supported the commercialization of the technology, known by the unlovely acronym GURTS, which stands for “genetic use restriction technologies.” ...
Posted at: Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - 06:50 AM -- Posted by: Jim Scott --
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