Savvy Vegetarian Blog - News and Opinion

Vegetarian Lifestyle, Environment, Health

Tue, 15 Feb 2005

ACTION ALERT--TERMINATE THE TERMINATOR

The following is the lead news bit from the latest issue of Organic Bytes, published by Organic Consumers Association, the latest round in the escalating warfare between good and evil agriculture. What I most admire about OCA is their relentless determination to prevail against ridiculous odds, because not to prevail is unthinkable. I call it Realistic Optimism.

"Consumer, farmer, and environmental organizations across the globe are mobilizing to stop the legalization and commercialization of the controversial Terminator Gene Technology, whereby seeds are genetically engineered to become sterile or commit suicide after one growing season. The Monsanto corporation and the biotech industry support the Terminator Technology, because it will force many of the 1.4 billion farmers around the world to stop saving their seeds and instead to purchase patented seed varieties from the Gene Giants. In addition, scientists are concerned that genetic pollution from Terminator crops will lead to killing off a wide range of crops and plants, as Terminator pollen and seeds are spread by the wind, insect pollinators, and commercial seed co-mingling and transportation. After a massive international campaign in 1998, Monsanto Corporation announced they were shelving plans to commercialize the Terminator, while the United Nations (UN) called for a global ban. But today (2/11/2005), renewed efforts to overturn the worldwide ban were launched at a UN conference in Bangkok."

Learn more and sign OCA's petition to the UN to terminate the Terminator Gene:
Organic Consumers