Lurid stories of bizarre animal hybrids tend to capture the media's attention, eclipsing the environmental implications of genetically modified foodstuffs. Raising awareness about the issues formed an important part of BPEC’s perma-culture open-day in December. Because it is a relatively recent technology, there is no information about the long-term impacts of GM crops on the environment and the food chain. But the manipulation of genetic material is a highly unpredictable business. Several problems have already arisen.

• Despite promises to the contrary by biotech companies, crop yields are lower and farmers are having to rely increasingly on dangerous chemical sprays because herbicide-resistant ‘super-weeds’ have sprung up as a result of the cross pollination of GM seeds.
• Contamination of non-GM and organic crops is prevalent and almost impossible to control, yet there is currently no legislation to protect farmers whose crops have been damaged. Biotech companies have even been known to force contracts on non-GM farmers whose crop has been contaminated with their patented seed!
• Contamination resulting in large areas of homogeneous crops gravely threatens genetic diversity, which is essential for safeguarding the food supply. For example, if frost-resistant crops become dominant, it may prove disastrous in the light of climate change.
• The economic situation of small farmers around the world is under threat from increasingly dominant biotech companies. The use of terminator technology means that seeds are bred to be unviable after one harvest, so farmers have to buy new seeds every year. Moreover, the seeds are generally developed in conjunction with particular herbicides, compounding the farmer’s dependency on corporate interests.
• Genetic modification will allow power over the world's food supply to be concentrated in the hands of a few large companies. The exacerbation of world hunger - which could be alleviated by more sustainable farming methods - will be inevitable.

For more information please contact: Friends of the Earth [1] New Internationalist [2] Laura Mitchison 12/01/05