1.Genetically Modified Crop Impoverishes Developing Countries
2.Launch of new scheme to promote biotech in developing countries
COMMENT: Last week the UK's Department for International Development (DFID) announced a new scheme for promoting biotechnology in Third World agriculture.
DFID's new scheme is a joint one with the UK public funding body, The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). The BBSRC's chairman until January 2002 was Peter Doyle, a director of the GM giant Syngenta. This was not considered a conflict of interest. In fact, the BBSRC has many biotech industry figures, including Syngenta representatives, sitting on its boards. http://www.gmwatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=21
Doyle's replacement as head of the BBSRC is Prof Julia Goodfellow, the wife of the head of discovery research at biotech/pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline. Needless to say, GSK also has representatives on BBSRC boards.
http://www.gmwatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=21
And if anyone thinks Tony Blair's in the US at the moment just to cosy up to George Bush over Lebanon, then an Associated Press article explains, "Promoting Britain's biotech industry tops British Prime Minister Tony Blair's agenda when he meets with California's government and industry leaders over the next few days." http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/15155464.htm
So it's more than ironic that on the same day as DFID announced its joint scheme with the BBSRC for promoting biotech, the Secretary of State for International Development, Hilary Benn, issued a written statement on the disturbing "Humanitarian Situation in Gaza and Lebanon", ie the places where Blair has failed to either call for an immediate ceasefire or pressure Bush to do so.
There couldn't be a clearer illustration of how government policies can inflame rather than resolve the world's most pressing humanitarian problems.
In the case of GM crops, there is growing evidence of how they are not only failing and impoverishing farmers in the developing world - see item 1 below - but wasting precious resources.
As Dr Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher, the head of Ethiopia's Environmental Protection Authority, has said, "The policy of drawing funds away from low-cost sustainable agriculture research, towards hi-tech, exclusive, expensive and unsafe technology is... ethically questionable. There is a strong moral argument that the funding of GM technology in agriculture is harming the long-term sustainability of agriculture in the developing world."
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4030
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1.Genetically Modified Crop Impoverishes Developing Countries
http://www.organicfood.co.uk/news.html
The Soil Association has condemned new British Government plans to promote genetically modified crops in developing countries. This announcement comes at the same time as new research showing that the GM 'miracle crop', Bt cotton, has proved an economic and environmental failure in China. Peter Melchett, Soil Association policy director said:
"It is completely irresponsible of the Government to promote this unwanted technology to the developing world. GM cotton has been a complete failure in China - it has lowered the income of farmers and failed to reduced pesticide use. Consumers in Europe have overwhelmingly rejected GM food and now it appears that the GM industry, with the help of our Government, are using the developing world as a dumping ground for GMOs."
The first long-term study of the economic impact of Bt cotton - genetically modified to resist certain pests - exposes the claims of the GM industry that it can reduce pesticide use and increase farmers' profits. After seven years of growing GM cotton, farmers in China have had to use over 400% more pesticides to kill new 'secondary' pests, according to new independent research by Cornell University. The costs of increased pesticide use and expensive GM seeds have resulted in GM farmers receiving 8% less net income than conventional farmers.
In spite of these findings, the Government is determined to pour more money into promoting GM crops to developing countries. This scheme is part of a GBP100 million strategy from the Department for International Development (DFID), who are working with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to fund research which they claim will "make significant differences to the lives of poor people in Africa and Asia". The difference GM crops have made for China's 5 million GM cotton farmers is to reduce their income and create new pest infestations. If GM crops are adopted more widely in the developing world, it will have dire consequences for the 2.5 billion people who rely on agriculture for their income. 600 million people work on the land in India alone, as well as 400 million in Africa.
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2.Launch of new scheme for research on Sustainable Agriculture for International Development
Press Release, 25 July 2006 http://www.dfid.gov.uk/news/files/pressreleases/research-sus-agri-scheme.asp
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Department for International Development (DFID) have announced a new scheme to promote biotechnology and biological sciences research that addresses the challenges of agriculture in developing countries. The scheme will strengthen collaboration between BBSRC and DFID to support research that provides answers on how to increase agricultural productivity and food security so as to make significant differences to the lives of poor people in Africa and Asia.
This scheme is one of the new initiatives being implemented under DFID's GBP100 million Strategy for Research on Sustainable Agriculture, announced in March this year. When announcing the Strategy earlier this year, the Secretary of State for International Development, Hilary Benn said:
"New technology developed with the help of innovative research will give poor farmers the seeds, knowledge and the tools to make a better living for themselves and help lift their communities out of poverty. When farmers are successful the rest of the economy flourishes too. Investment in research today will lead to fewer people having to live tomorrow without basic healthcare, education or the many services we take for granted.
2005 was an important year in the fight to defeat extreme poverty all over the world. By turning research into practical help for poor farmers we will be closer to making poverty history."
Professor Julia Goodfellow, Chief Executive of BBSRC said:
"This new scheme offers exciting opportunities to build on work which has already shown the vital contribution biosciences research can make in improving sustainable agriculture globally. BBSRC has a strong track record in supporting basic plant sciences research and we are increasingly able to understand at a molecular level how plants interact with their environment, including how they respond to attack by disease and to other hostile conditions. This offers new opportunities for developing crops that specifically meet the needs of farmers in developing countries. BBSRC is looking forward to building on these successes by working with DFID to fund world class science to help meet the needs of the world’s poorest nations."
The scheme has a total budget of GBP6 million over four years and will provide research grants to UK and non-UK researchers to undertake strategic research that contributes to growth and poverty reduction in developing countries. The first research call of the scheme will focus on crop sciences.
The scheme builds upon DFID's and BBSRC's strengths in development and scientific research. DFID currently spends 4% of its development budget on research, placing it in the top three bilateral donors, and has over the last three decades supported research on new technologies and ideas to help achieve poverty reduction. BBSRC is the UK's largest funder of basic and strategic biological research and has supported development related research at UK universities and its sponsored institutes. Combining this experience BBSRC and DFID aim to support research which meets the needs of poor people, and helps build the research capacity of developing countries.
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Notes for Editors
More information about the new scheme
In 2005 the UK helped to achieve commitments by the EU and G8 for an extra $50 billion a year in aid by 2010. Half of that will go to Africa and help achieve close to universal AIDS treatment by 2010 and access to free basic education and health care by 2015.
Extreme poverty affects 1.3 billion people around the world who live on less than $1 a day. Three billion people live on less than $2 a day (source: UN). Copies of the new Strategy for Research on Sustainable Agriculture can be found at www.dfid.gov.uk . Details of research funded by DFID can be found on our Research for Development portal (R4D)
About BBSRC
More information on BBSRC and for examples of BBSRC-funded research and developing countries
BBSRC annually invests around £350 million in a wide range of research that makes a significant contribution to the quality of life for UK citizens and supports a number of important industrial stakeholders including the agriculture, food, chemical, healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. BBSRC carries out its mission by funding internationally competitive research, providing training in the biosciences, fostering opportunities for knowledge transfer and innovation and promoting interaction with the public and other stakeholders on issues of scientific interest.
About DFID
DFID has allocated GBP100m over five years to fund the three new initiatives of the Strategy for Research on Sustainable Agriculture. These will commence in the financial year 2006/07. Funding for the first two financial years, £40 million, is part of the total GBP255 million DFID announced for all research in these two financial years.
DFID is already giving an additional GBP20 million per year to the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research - a group of international research centres working on agriculture and natural resource management. The new White Paper "Eliminating World Poverty: Making Governance work for the poor" includes a commitment to double funding on research including agriculture.
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Contacts
BBSRC Media Office Matt Goode, Tel: 01793 413299, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tracey Jewitt, Tel: 01793 414694, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
DFID Press Office Tel: 020 7023 0600 (24 hour number) or call the DFID Public Enquiry Point on: 0355 84 3132.