Gene-crops may hit food supply - environmentalists
RTw 18.12.97 14:23
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By Christopher Lyddon
LONDON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Food security could be under threat as
the widespread use of a few types of genetically modified crops
increases the risk of disease and pest attack, according to
environmental campaigners.
And the revolution in biotechnology could concentrate power over
what farmers grow in the hands of a few big seed producers.
"Erosion of the varietal base is not a healthy thing in
terms of food security," Greenpeace campaigner Doctor
Douglas Parr said.
"The loss of crop diversity could be quite serious,"
said Pete Riley of Friends of the Earth.
"Varieties will be lost to farmers." Riley feared that
companies would hold on to seed types and only bring them out
when they wanted to use a particular gene.
"Using one type of seed across a wide range of soil types,
climates or other variations in conditions was not good practice.
Historically crops had been developed to suit micro-environments.
"Farmers have to have seeds which grow best in their type of
system or environment."
Riley was concerned that large scale production of one type of
crop could mean more use of chemicals. "A pest could take a
fancy to it and we then have to use heavy chemicals."
He was not convinced by the biotechnology companies' argument
that chemical use would be reduced by the use of resistant crops.
"It just shifts from other chemicals to their
chemicals." "Without doubt weed resistance will develop
faster than it does now."
Erosion of the genetic base was a major concern for Greenpeace.
"Even supposing you get higher yielding crops, does that
mean your stability and food security is improved? It's not at
all clear to me that that's the case," Greenpeace's
campaigner Doctor Douglas Parr said.
"You could have a bumper yield one year and a greatly
reduced one the next."
For Greenpeace concentration of power in the seed trade was not a
core concern, as it was not necessarily bad for the environment,
Parr said.
But Friends of the the Earth campaigner Riley was more concerned.
"They will control what farmers pay. The price will go
shooting up," he said.
So far the production of genetically modified crops has been
limited to countries outside Europe, but France has lifted a ban
on growing genetically modified maize, developed by Swiss group
Novartis (NOVZ.S).
"It is a concern to some farmers, National Farmers' Union
food scientist Dr Vernon Barber said. "They're not happy
that it is concentrated in a few hands. It depends how far it
goes."
Barber said that the risk to biodiversity had been recognised and
it was recommended that farmers growing the new crops keep back
some land for conventional varieties.
For farmers to grow genetically modified crops, three criteria
had to be satisfied. There had to be a profit in it, or an
agronomic advantage. It must not do any harm to their farms. And
consumers had to be prepared to buy the product.