Statements

Melanie Jarman

I am taking part in this genetix snowball action because I believe that the growing of genetically modified crops on test field sites is unsafe. Genetic material from test field sites can escape through cross pollination or gene transfer into soil micro-organisms. It is unnatural, as it works against rather than with the delicate balance of our ecosystem; and it is unnecessary. It is a technology motivated by a desire for larger profits rather than genuine concern to, for example, feed the world's hungry. I will go into greater detail on this below.

The government has failed to act to regulate genetic engineering despite significant public opposition. I believe that the only way left to effectively challenge this technology and to take my responsibility as a citizen seriously is to break from silence and remove these plants from the earth using nonviolent direct action.

One of my key concerns in relation to genetic engineering is that rather than 'feed the world's hungry' as industry proponents assure us, it will actually exacerbate problems of food insecurity, particularly in developing countries. Malnutrition and hunger are caused by complex social and political factors around access to food. Some of the most haunting images around hunger came from the Ethiopian famine in the mid 80s yet during this time Ethiopia was exporting coffee, meat, fruit and vegetables to Europe. The idea that biotechnology is the answer to situations such as these is not only misleading but also ignores some of the disastrous effects that may arise from widespread reliance on genetic engineering.

In general, the genetic diversity of the world's major crops has been declining as land is increasingly given over to cash or export crops, usually grown as monocultures. The genetic uniformity of these makes them vulnerable to pests and disease outbreaks: genetically diverse crops on the other hand contain a proportion of plants that are likely to have some degree of resistance. Many countries' centuries-old agricultural systems recognise this and already possess the genetic resources to guarantee a sustainable food supply. In India, for example, farmers grow over 50 000 varieties of rice. Although some varieties may be susceptible to problems in any one year, other varieties will survive. Genetically modified (GM) crops do not have the adaptability to local conditions of local crops grown in an area over several generations. The introduction of GM crop monocultures, with their genetic uniformity and high chemical input requirements is more likely to undermine food security and biodiversity than it is to feed the world's hungry.

The actual types of food being grown by the biotechnology companies demonstrate that increasing food availability is not high on their agenda. Most of the food products from transgenic crops have been marketed to consumers in affluent industrialised countries, for example, Monsanto's high-starch 'quick fry' potato for the fast food market. These crops rarely fit in with traditional local diets or the plans of local farmers. GM applications are also spreading the cultivation of non-food crops such as cotton or tobacco. More of these will not increase food availability or alleviate starvation in the Third World.

The technological shifts which biotechnology implies will bring further economic losses and resultant food insecurity through the transfer of agricultural production into laboratories and factories in the industrialised world. The story of vanilla demonstrates this. Vanilla is a major export crop for Madagascar, the Comoro Islands and Reunion which between them account for over 98% of the world's vanilla production. In Madagascar, over 70 000 small holders are involved in the growing of vanilla and the crop accounts for 10% of the country's export earnings. This trade is threatened, as genetically modified vanilla can now be produced by taking plant tissue and growing it under tissue culture conditions in a laboratory.

This production of substitutes through biotechnology will be felt most by countries such as Africa which are economically dependent upon exports of the natural products concerned. The immediate future faced by Africa is one of a worsened trade position, indebtedness and general dependency on industrialised nations.

The development of genetically modified organisms has been done almost exclusively by multinationals in industrialised countries and is subject to patent protection, as multinationals seek to commercialise their findings. This patent control undermines the autonomy of Third World farmers whilst monopoly control over some of the world's most important food crops provides a threat to food security. Ismail Serageldin, chairman of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, speaking at the World Food Summit in November 1996, feared that biotechnology patents could create a 'scientific apartheid' which locks 80% of people in the developing world out of scientific advances. The flow of technology and information to the developing world will slow down with the patenting of biotechnology. The future of global agriculture will be defined without the voice of the Third World and without making a genuine attempt to tackle the need to feed the world's hungry.

As a result of these concerns I will be taking part in a genetix snowball action on 18th July. I will be pulling up 74 plants in memory of Ray Leach, a campaigner committed to creating a society based on nonviolence to the earth and to each other. Ray died recently aged 74.

My action is in support of the genetix snowball demand for a five year moratorium on the deliberate release of GM plants in Britain, except for government sponsored ecological health and safety tests (in enclosed systems); and the removal of all GM crops already existing.

I hope that my action will reach out to those in a position to make decisions over the direction of genetic engineering. I hope that ordinary citizens who are in a position to effect change by actions in their daily lives will be inspired to take similar actions to my own and keep the snowball rolling.

Melanie Jarman
17th July 1998
c/o Genetix Snowball, One World Centre, 6 Mount Street, Manchester