-Caveat Lector-
Sterile seed plan shelved following public outcry
http://www.smh.com.au/news/9910/06/national/national3.html
By MARK RAGG
The giant agribusiness company Monsanto has promised not to commercialise
the much maligned terminator gene, removing a major concern surrounding
genetically modified crops.
Public pressure had forced the company to shelve plans to commercialise
sterile seed technologies, such as the one dubbed "terminator", the chief
executive of Monsanto, Mr Bob Shapiro, said.
When used, this gene would render seeds produced from Monsanto crops
sterile, increasing farmers' dependence on the company - a grave concern for
those in the developing world who rely on reusing seeds from one year's
harvest for the next crop.
Monsanto had previously defended the technology, saying poor farmers didn't
have to buy seeds containing the gene.
But critics said if GM crops were as good as promised, farmers not growing
them would suffer in the marketplace.
Monsanto reserved the right to develop a patented technology which would
still allow it to dominate global markets in seeds and keep farmers reliant
on the company.
"The need for companies to protect and gain a return on their investments in
agricultural innovation is real. Without this return, we would no longer be
able to continue developing new products growers have said they want," Mr
Shapiro wrote in an open letter to the United States-based charity the
Rockefeller Foundation.
"Monsanto holds patents on technological approaches to gene protection that
do not render seeds sterile and has studied one that would inactivate only
the specific gene(s) responsible for the value-added biotech trait.
"We are not currently investing resources to develop these technologies, but
we do not rule out their future development and use for gene protection or
their possible agronomic benefits."
Monsanto has been criticised repeatedly and vociferously for the terminator
gene's development, which was done by the Delta & Pine Seed Company, which
Monsanto is buying subject to US regulatory approval.
The Rockefeller Foundation is a keen supporter of GM crops, investing more
than $US100 million ($151 million) in gene research to develop better
varieties of rice for use in the developing world.
But the foundation recently criticised scientists and agribusiness groups
for their arrogance, saying they had done too little to inform the public of
their plans.
Mr Scott Kinnear, director of the Organic Federation of Australia, welcomed
the decision.
"Obviously, stopping development of this gene is a good thing because of the
importance of gene-saving to any independent farmer," he said.
"But I don't think it'll change things that much. I guess it's a PR
exercise - the Rockefeller Foundation still wants to commercialise GM crops,
as does Monsanto."
Mr Bob Phelps, director of the GenEthics Network, called on Monsanto to stop
all research and withdraw patents on the technology, saying such approaches
were an "insult to human life".
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