Yet another issue to worry about



For those of you who are up to date, this issue isn't news. But I still feel like ranting.

So who knows about seed patenting? What about agreements regarding saving seed? What about genetic engineering that has been done to prevent plants from reproducing?

It's scary stuff. Companies are being allowed to genetically modify crops, and then patent their revisions. It's been a long-standing part of the seed business to require growers to sign contracts that prevent them from saving seed (or plant seeds resulting from the crops they grow). And now, with advanced genetic modification happening, seed manufacturers (italicized because the process is no longer natural) are now making seeds that will not produce plants that make viable seeds.

So... here's my proposition. This is perversion. For those of you who are against abortion, or the very few of you who are against contraception, this should be a major concern to you. We have now, in the interest of profit, allowed the destruction of part of the natural ability for plants to do what God created them to do. It is unnatural. Plants should be able to reproduce naturally.

I watched a show on PBS sometime in the last year that gives even creepier information. Some of the plants that were first modified were corn plants. Corn plants reproduce by spreading corn silk through the air. Even the modified corn plants that don't reproduce do make silk. It contains genetic material. Genetically-modified genotypes are being spread through this corn silk- traveling from the midwest to as far away as Mexico. We could potentially start seeing organic unmodified crops inheriting the DNA that makes them incapable of reproducing.

So... we're making money off of destroying the natural functioning of the ecosystem. Great.

As Christians, and as world citizens, we should oppose this. Keeping farmers from saving seed and preventing plants from reproducing naturally makes it harder for them to make money, and wastes natural resources. This isn't quantified by anyone, but I have a feeling that the amount of farm subsidies we spend millions of dollars on annually in the United States could be drastically reduced if growers were allowed to resell excess seed and re-use the genetic material in the crops they grow by replanting. Who would hurt? Monsanto and the other seed companies (Con Agra, etc.). Why should we care? As far as I can tell, we shouldn't. Anyone have evidence to the contrary? Comments? Requests for references? I'm too lazy to give you references without a request.

Posted: Fri - December 16, 2005 at 03:40 PM          

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