The following articles appeared in the Longford Leader from October 2007 as part of "How We Live Our Lives" series.

Can Life Be Patented?

In 1996, Percy Schmeiser, a 74 year old farmer from Canada , was sued by the argi-giant Monsanto for patent infringement after Schmeiser's rapeseed crop became contaminated with patented seeds developed by Monsanto. These seeds were genetically modified to be resistant to Monsanto's Round Up herbicide by adding a gene from soil bacteria into the genome of conventional rapeseed plants. Known as Round Up Ready Canola (Rapeseed is known as Canola in the United States and Canada ), Monsanto had full commercial rights to these seeds, meaning no one could profit from their technology without payment to Monsanto.

Monsanto sued Mr Schmeiser for his full year's profits from his farm, plus court and technology charges. The case ended up in the Supreme Court of Canada which upheld Monsanto's claim to the seed but stated that Mr. Schmeiser did not have to pay any royalties or court costs. This landmark case highlighted the serious issues that farmers could be facing should genetically modified (GM) crops be given the go ahead to grow here in Ireland .

Seeds, by their very nature, are meant to disperse and they can be carried on the wind or by birds and insects. They don't recognise boundaries or borders and they cannot be expected to know not to germinate on the lands of a farmer that does not have permission to grow them. Also, pollinating insects such as bees cannot possibly tell the difference between the pollen of a conventional plant and a genetically modified one leading to cross pollinating between these plants. Bearing this in mind, if GM crops are given the go ahead in Ireland , will farmers here face the same battle as Percy Schmeiser? Will they be faced with losing the profits and right to their own crops?

In addition to the possible commercial affects on farmers, genes from genetically modified crops could also be incorporated into the genome of related plants. Rapeseed is a plant in the cabbage family - a huge group of plants that include cabbages, turnips and mustards as well as ever popular garden plants such as Aubretia, Honesty and Sweet Alison. How would the insertion of DNA from soil bacteria into the genome of these plants affect human health and local ecology? These effects are impossible to test under controlled and sterile laboratory where variables such as climate, existing ecological interactions and human sociological and physiological conditions cannot be recreated in full.

At present in Ireland we are continually under threat from the issue of GM crops. In January 2006, the giant company BASF Plant Science applied to the EPA for a license to conduct an experiment on genetically modified potatoes in Co. Meath. BASF intended to grow potatoes genetically engineered to be more resistant to the potato blight. Some critics say that BASF may have selected Ireland as the location for its GMO potato experiment in hopes of appropriating the well-known tragedy of the Irish famine as an emotionally compelling spin for its global GMO potato marketing strategy. Two of the genes used to modify these potatoes included carrier genes from a pathogenic bacteria called Agrobacterium tumefaciens . This is a bacterium that results in the growth of galls or tumours in over 140 species of plants. It is impossible to predict how these genes will behave once released into the environment.

Despite the protests of over 32,000 concerned Irish citizens, the EPA granted BASF the license to grow these potatoes, without any clear evidence that these potatoes would be safe and that they wouldn't contaminate crops of conventional potatoes. However, the conditions imposed by the EPA did not suit BASF and they decided to withdraw from the trials for the foreseeable future.

This case highlights how powerless we ordinary citizens are when it comes to the issue of growing GM crops in Ireland . The current coalition government seem to have two different thoughts on the issue. Fianna Fáil are pushing for the growing of these crops while the Green Party remain opposed to it. There is a growing awareness amongst Irish food producers and farmers that the public do not want to consume genetically modified products. They believe that Ireland should be marketed for its green, unmodified image and that this will be a huge selling point to the EU market. Perhaps economics rather than health and environmental issues will keep the GMOs out?

GM lobby groups are continually stressing that the release of genetically modified organisms into the environment and the food chain are safe. It is likely that the developers of Thalidomide medical products in the 1950s also believed this. However, until there is definitive proof that GMs are safe and until all scientific studies can come to the same conclusion, then these Frankenstein products should not be introduced into the natural environment and food chain.

The GM-Free Ireland Network is an NGO representing the interests of thousands of Irish people who are against GMOs. Nine counties in Ireland , including Roscommon, Westmeath and Cavan have been declared as GM Free zones. Longford Environmental Alliance (LEA) are currently lobbying for Longford to be declared as a GM Free Zone. For more information on this campaign, please visit www.gmfreeireland.org or you can contact LEA by e-mailing lea@l-e-a.org.

Noreen McLoughlin is a member of LEA and an Environmental and Ecological Consultant. She is also a member of the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management.

LEA

Longford Environmental Alliance

Can Life Be Patented?

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