‘Wicked’GMcrop critics blamed for death of poor kids
BRITAIN
LEADING scientists have praised the Environment Secretary’s attack on ‘‘wicked’’ opponents of genetically modified crops.
Owen Paterson suggested that members of the anti-GM lobby, which includes Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, were responsible for the deaths from malnutrition of children in the developing world. He referred to the sabotage in the Philippines of a crop of ‘‘golden rice’’, a GM variety shown to have the potential to help prevent vitamin A deficiency.
‘‘It’s disgusting that little children are allowed to go blind and die because of a hangup by a small number of people about this technology . . . What they do is absolutely wicked.
‘‘There are 17 million farmers, farming 170 million hectares, which is 12 per cent of the world’s arable area, seven times the surface area of the UK [with GM] and no-one has ever brought me a single case of a health problem.’’
Paterson has used even more strident language against GM opponents in the past.
Alexander Stein, research coordinator at the International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington DC, said: ‘‘Minister Paterson may have chosen strong language but the essence of his message is true, namely that golden rice could be beneficial for poor families in many parts of Asia.’’
Tom Sanders, professor of nutrition and dietetics at King’s College London, said: ‘‘Unfounded scare stories by well-fed people living in developed countries suggesting genetically modified rice might be harmful help nobody.’’
Professor Joe Perry, chairman of the GM panel of the European Food Safety Authority, an advisory body funded by the European Union, said: ‘‘It is strange that certain organisations on the one hand vilify those that go against the scientific consensus on climate change but simultaneously refuse to accept the overwhelming scientific consensus on GM food safety. Any organisation that supports the ripping up of regulatory trials designed to inform us about food or environmental safety is denying the public the data on which to make an informed decision. This goes against all the principles of transparency.’’
Professor Denis Murphy, head of genomics at the University of South Wales, said golden rice was aimed at poor farmers and their families in Asia and was not a commercial venture. ‘‘It seems that many critics of golden rice fail to understand that much of modern breeding is very artificial and technology dependent, but without it we would certainly be facing famine on a global scale.’’
Professor Mark Tester, of the Centre for Desert Agriculture at King Abdullah University in Saudi Arabia, said: ‘‘It is heartening to see that there is a prominent minister with the bravery and leadership to decry the misguided stance of the anti-GM extremists. Campaigners claim there are more effective solutions to vitamin A deficiency. What are these solutions, and why have they not materialised to beat the world’s biggest health issue?’’
Craig Bennett, director of policy at Friends of the Earth, criticised Paterson over his doubts about whether man-made climate change is an urgent problem. ‘‘What could be termed as wicked is a minister who turns a blind eye to evidence of the very real threat of climate change on food security and the world’s children, and instead puts his faith in unproved silver bullet measures,’’ he said. He said it was ‘‘highly doubtful’’ that GM crops could protect food supplies from climate change.