Plants created using Terminator technology will produce sterile
seeds,creating a monopoly and unnatural control of the seeds.
Farmers willnot be able to use seeds from such plants for the
following season'scultivation. The seeds will rot in the soil
without producing newplants. If this technology is introduced in
crops such as soya, wheat,canola and cotton it will force farmers
to buy new seeds every yearfrom the same company.
"Farmers should be aware that corporations all over the world
are readyto take control of their seeds with genetic engineering
(GE). Thesecorporations will control the entire food chain with the
help ofmonopoly patents and Terminator technology," said Christoph
Then,Greenpeace International GE campaigner. "We need a global ban
on thistechnology and on any patents on seeds. These corporate
instrumentswill disrupt the backbone of global food supply, making
it impossiblefor the farmers to reuse their own harvest for
planting."
So far, the market introduction of the Terminator
technology-which wasalready developed about ten years ago-was
successfully preventedthrough worldwide protest of several groups
and stakeholders. But manyobservers believe that the GE industry
will drive towards thelegalisation of this technology at the
meeting of the UN Convention onBiological Diversity in March next
year. The grant of the patent couldpush even harder for market
introduction.
"These new patents confirm that corporations are once again
activelypursuing Terminator technology and an international ban on
thetechnology is urgently needed," said Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator
of thenew global Ban Terminator Campaign, which involves farmers
unions,environmental and Indigenous people organisations (2).
Although the GE industry claims that Terminator technology will
helpcontain the spread of GE contamination, Greenpeace believes
otherwise."GE technology can not be controlled by Terminator seeds.
On thecontrary, it is likely that farmers
will find their harvest being contaminated with this
Terminatortechnology, if introduced. This is a real threat for
estimated 80% ofthe farmers all over the world who save their seeds
for cultivation."
Greenpeace is an independent campaigning organisation that
usesnon-violent creative confrontation to expose global
environmentalproblems to force solutions that are essential to a
green and peacefulfuture.
Other contacts: Christoph Then, Greenpeace International GE Campaign, +49 171 8780832Lucy Sharatt, Ban Terminator Campaign, +1 613 2412267, mobile: +1 613 2226214
Notes: (1) The Terminator patent, EP 775212B, was granted to US-based Delta &Pine and the United States of America, represented by the Secretary of Agriculture. According to further data bank research the patent was already granted in similar versions in USA, further applications were filed in Australia, Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Turkey and South Africa.(2) www.banterminator.org