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Corporates gain control over nature's seeds as the Terminator patent
is granted
Amsterdam, 25 October 2005 - Greenpeace today exposed details that the
patent for the controversial "Terminator technology" was granted in
Europe on 5 October 2005. The Terminator patent (1) has been approved
for all plants that are genetically engineered so that their seeds will
not germinate. Further research by the "Ban Terminator Campaign", a
network of farmers' unions and environmental organisations revealed
that a patent was also granted in Canada on 11 October 2005.
Plants created using Terminator technology will produce sterile seeds,
creating a monopoly and unnatural control of the seeds. Farmers will
not be able to use seeds from such plants for the following season's
cultivation. The seeds will rot in the soil without producing new
plants. If this technology is introduced in crops such as soya, wheat,
canola and cotton it will force farmers to buy new seeds every year
from the same company.
"Farmers should be aware that corporations all over the world are ready
to take control of their seeds with genetic engineering (GE). These
corporations will control the entire food chain with the help of
monopoly patents and Terminator technology," said Christoph Then,
Greenpeace International GE campaigner. "We need a global ban on this
technology and on any patents on seeds. These corporate instruments
will disrupt the backbone of global food supply, making it impossible
for the farmers to reuse their own harvest for planting."
So far, the market introduction of the Terminator technology-which was
already developed about ten years ago-was successfully prevented
through worldwide protest of several groups and stakeholders. But many
observers believe that the GE industry will drive towards the
legalisation of this technology at the meeting of the UN Convention on
Biological Diversity in March next year. The grant of the patent could
push even harder for market introduction.
"These new patents confirm that corporations are once again actively
pursuing Terminator technology and an international ban on the
technology is urgently needed," said Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator of the
new global Ban Terminator Campaign, which involves farmers unions,
environmental and Indigenous peoples organisations (2).
Although the GE industry claims that Terminator technology will help
contain the spread of GE contamination, Greenpeace believes otherwise.
"GE technology can not be controlled by Terminator seeds. On the
contrary, it is likely that farmers will find their harvest being
contaminated with this Terminator technology, if introduced. This is a
real threat for estimated 80% of the farmers all over the world who
save their seeds for cultivation."
Greenpeace is an independent campaigning organisation that uses
non-violent creative confrontation to expose global environmental
problems to force solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful
future.
For further information, contact:
Christoph Then, Greenpeace International GE Campaign, +49 171 8780832
Judit Kalovits, Greenpeace International Communications, +31 621 296914
Lucy Sharratt, Ban Terminator Campaign, +1 613 2412267, mobile: +1 613
2226214
Notes to Editors:
(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
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Item 2
Canada Grants New Controversial Terminator Patent To US Company
Patent on "Suicide seeds" allowed
Ottawa, October 25, 2005 - Today Greenpeace and the Ban Terminator
Campaign revealed that new patents have been granted in both Canada and
Europe for a Terminator technology owned jointly by US seed corporation
Delta & Pine Land and the United States Department of Agriculture. The
patents were granted on October 11 and 5 respectively. The move
confirms the greatest fears of farmers’, Indigenous peoples groups and
social movements across the world that Terminator technology is once
again being pushed towards commercialization.
Terminator seeds are genetically engineered to be sterile after first
harvest so farmers cannot use the seed in the next season. It would
force farmers to buy seed every year and concentrate even more power in
the hands of major biotechnology and seed corporations. Intensive
global uproar has kept the technology from being field-tested or
commercialized but companies are now pushing for acceptance.
"These new patents confirm that corporations are once again actively
pursuing Terminator seeds and an international ban on Terminator is
urgently needed," said Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator of the new global Ban
Terminator Campaign.
New fears that governments and corporations are working together to
push Terminator were first confirmed in February 2005 when the Canadian
government shocked the world by trying to overturn the international de
facto moratorium on Terminator that exists at the United Nations under
the Convention on Biological Diversity. Uproar from Canadian and
international groups kept the moratorium alive. To address this crisis,
the National Farmers Union and other Canadian-based groups including
ETC Group, Inter Pares and USC Canada initiated a global Ban Terminator
Campaign (www.banterminator.org).
"The Canadian government must immediately stop promoting corporate
Terminator seeds and protect the rights of farmers by banning the
technology," said Terry Boehm, Vice President of the National Farmers
Union, "Terminator is a great threat to farmers in developed and
developing countries. The Canadian government should be ashamed to be
associated with this technology. Terminator is an attempt to achieve
biologically what the government has been unable to do legislatively."
"Corporate control of seeds is the only goal of Terminator. The
corporate attempt to greenwash Terminator by saying it can help prevent
genetic contamination is false as the technology itself is not 100%
reliable and it can nevertheless contaminate the environment and
threaten biodiversity’. This is an outrageous strategy to commercialize
a dangerous, anti-farmer and non-ecological technology," said Eric
Darier, Greenpeace Canada campaigner, "Patents on Terminator can and
must be denied for the public good."
The Ban Terminator Campaign is urging governments around the world to
establish national bans on Terminator and to ban Terminator at the
major meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity March 20-31
2006 in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
For more information: Terry Boehm, Vice President, National Farmers
Union, Saskatchewan 306 255 2880; Eric Darier, Greenpeace Canada
Campaigner, Montreal 514 933 0021 x15 Cell: 514 605 6497; Lucy
Sharratt, Coordinator, Ban Terminator Campaign, Ottawa 613 241 2267
Cell: 613 222 6214
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