Sowing the Seeds of Self-Reliance for Forty Years
March 21, 2000 Food Supply Update
Terminator and Traitor Technologies Target Global Seed and Food Supply
Part I: The Terminator Revisted
Copyright © 2000 by Geri Guidetti
All Rights Reserved
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It has been nearly two years since I published the article, Seed Terminator and Mega-Merger Threaten Food and Freedom (see Food Supply Updates, June 5, 1998 at http://www.arkinstitute.com).
Among the thousand or more email and snail mail letters I have received on the topic are more recent communications telling me that there is no longer need to worry because the Terminator "has been terminated" by Monsanto’s announcement, in October 1999, that the company will not commercialize the technology. In fact, another seed giant, AstraZeneca , made a similar public commitment.
On the surface, it seemed that these seed company giants had come to their senses—that they understood the fundamental immorality of genetically programming food and cotton seeds to commit suicide in the second generation so that seed could no longer be saved and planted. Farmers, communities and, perhaps, whole populations around the world could be held hostage by controlling their means to feed themselves. It seemed that the global outcry at the United Nations, the thousands of letters sent to Dan Glickman, head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA, co-developer and co-owner of the original Terminator patent ) and the global protests against Monsanto who, in 1998, had announced it was merging with cotton seed giant, Delta & Pine Land, the other developer/owner of the original Terminator patent, had worked. As we have sadly discovered so many times in recent years, public, national, even global declarations of innocence or intent often have little foundation in fact. They are often nothing more than distractions, red herrings, designed to "take the heat off" while the real business or intent continues.
Below is a list of more recent Terminator technology developments and some references. There will be more in the weeks ahead. If you are unfamiliar with the original Terminator story, please read my initial article for background. Another important development to consider is the eye-popping rate of mergers which have occurred, or are underway, in the global seed market. It has been said that all of the people who control seed production for most of the world’s food supply could now be gathered on one backyard patio for a cookout.
Terminator Developments
In October 1999, Monsanto succumbed to global public protest. (Genetic manipulation of seed and food is especially disliked and distrusted in Europe, and public outcry was highly visible in the media there.) According to RAFI (http://www.RAFI.org), Robert Shapiro, CEO of Monsanto, vowed "...not to commercialize gene protection systems that render seed sterile." In its Feb/Mar 2000 Communique, RAFI also reports:
"When Shapiro made the announcement, he also made a point of saying that Monsanto does not own its own seed sterilization tecnology. This is false. In fact, Monsanto’s in-house Terminator technology is described in the copany’s patent, WO 9744465, ‘Method for Controlling Seed Germination Using Soybean ACYL COA Oxidase Sequences.....’
In December 1999, in response to blocks imposed by U.S. anti-trust regulators, Monsanto pulled the plug on its planned merger with Delta & Pine Land, now the world’s largest cotton seed company. Aborting the merger cost Monsanto an $81 million merger-termination fee. Delta & Pine Land reported that it is now free to seek new corporate suitors. (See "Monsanto Won’t Commercialize Terminator Gene" in The Wall Street Journal, October 5, 1999.)
"The day after Monsanto announced its decision to reject Terminator, the USDA’s Richard Parry told the Wall St. Journal, ‘I think Monsanto needs to carefully reconsider its postion.’ In addition to in-house research, USDA has supported research on suicide seeds at Purdue University (Indian, USA), which holds its own Terminator patent." (RAFI, Feb/Mar Communique http://www.RAFI.org)
Delta & Pine Land and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are, once again, the only owners of the original, prototype Terminator patent (US Patent No. 5,723,765.) In an article, "Terminator Technology Not Terminated" in Agra/Industrial Biotechnology Legal Letter, January 2000, Harry Collins of Delta & Pine Land was quoted, "We’ve continued right on with work on the Technology Protection System [Terminator]. We never really slowed down. We’re on target, moving ahead to commercialize it. We never really backed off." (This company, with its mammoth share of the global cotton seed market, is still ripe for a takeover, perhaps by another multi-national biotech giant. Remember, Terminator technology can be applied to virtually any plant that makes seed.
Today, over 30 Terminator-type technology patents have been awarded and are owned by giant gene companies.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) opposes Terminator technology. In a recent interview, Director General Jacques Diouf cited its potential affects on farmers in both the North and the South. (1.4 billion of the world’s people depend on farm-saved seed to survive.) Four thousand members of US-based Global Response, members from 40 countries, wrote to the Director General asking his support in rejecting the Terminator because of its threat to global food security.
In India, a draft bill entitled, "Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights" contains the clause, "...no variety shall be registered under this Act if such variety contains any gene or gene sequence involving any technology including terminator technology which is injurious to the life or health of human beings, animals, or plants." Over 80 percent of farmers in India plant and save their own seed.
Cletus Avoka, Minister of Environment in Ghana, says his government will not tolerate Terminator technology.
Uganda’s government is discussing means to outlaw Terminator technology there.
The Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of Panama wrote that the Panamanian government "will adopt measures to prohibit the specific patents as well as the technology in general."
The U.S. Department of Agriculture staunchly defends its potentially profitable Terminator technology patent despite receiving over ten thousand letters, faxes, emails and phone calls protesting U.S. involvement in the origination and blatant global promotion of the Terminator technology patent. American taxpayer’s dollars were spent on developing and seeking patent approval for this technology in 78 countries. (See my 1998 article.) Thus far, the USDA has thumbed its nose at its "employers", American farmers and all of us who are angry that their tax dollars are being used to create, promote and license technology designed to ensure dependence on and profit for multinational, industrial seed giants.
At the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) web site, read:
"USDA has no plans to introduce TPS into any germplasm in our collections or plant research programs. Our involvement has been to help develop the technology, not to assist companies to use it. ARS is also committed to making the technology as widely available as possible, so that its benefits will accrue to all segments of society. Negotiations with Delta & Pine Land on the licensing terms have focused on this need. ARS intends to do research on other applications of this unique gene control discovery, but which are unrelated to seed germination. When new applications are at the appropriate stage of development, this technology will also be transferred to the private sector for commercial application."
I will be covering the other technology "unrelated to seed germination" next time. It may be difficult to imagine a greater threat to freedom than the Terminator, a technology that can hold farmers and food for all people hostage, that can literally place the fate of whole nations in the hands of those guys on a single patio at a backyard cookout. Yet, the Traitor technologies can be worse than this. It’s just a matter of degrees of evil, in my opinion. Next week.
Of all of the questions I have been asked about this topic at my seminars, one stands out: "What can we do about this?" First, do your homework. Visit the sites I referenced, especially RAFI’s, and then some. Clarify your own position on the subject. Know what you are talking about. Know where you stand and why. If you oppose it, then there are many things you can do. For one, I don’t think ten thousand letters to the USDA were enough. It’s obvious our "employees" are not listening. Perhaps the U.S. Congress, our President or Presidential candidates have not received enough mail on this. It’s an election year. Ears and eyes should be a bit more open during an election year. This should be a public issue as prominent as it is in Europe. What else can you do? I’m reminded of the Biblical injunction, "Bloom where you are planted." Wherever you find yourself, whatever your skills, abilities, contacts, etc., tap them; use them to do good. If you determine the Terminator and Traitor technologies are immoral and threatening, "bloom" where you can do the most good. Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Indeed.........Geri Guidetti
Email: arkinstitute@aol.com
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