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January 26, 1999: Terminator Seed Technology - Patrick Roy Mooney
Published 1 year, 10 months ago
Description
Art Bell speaks with Patrick Roy Mooney of the Rural Advancement Foundation International about a jointly developed technology between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Delta and Pine Land Company that genetically alters plants so the seeds they produce are sterile. Mooney, who coined the term "Terminator" for this technology, explains how it forces farmers to repurchase seed every season rather than saving harvested seed for replanting.
The discussion reveals that 1.4 billion people worldwide depend on farm-saved seed for survival. Mooney warns that pollen from Terminator crops could spread to neighboring fields, potentially sterilizing crops of farmers who never purchased the engineered seed. A University of Chicago study suggests genetically altered plants are 20 times more likely to outcross with natural varieties, raising the specter of widespread unintended crop failure.
Mooney details how 34 related patents are pending or granted across major agrochemical corporations, with an estimated 80 percent of commercial seed projected to carry Terminator traits by 2010. He urges listeners to write Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman demanding the technology be shelved before it reaches the global marketplace.
The discussion reveals that 1.4 billion people worldwide depend on farm-saved seed for survival. Mooney warns that pollen from Terminator crops could spread to neighboring fields, potentially sterilizing crops of farmers who never purchased the engineered seed. A University of Chicago study suggests genetically altered plants are 20 times more likely to outcross with natural varieties, raising the specter of widespread unintended crop failure.
Mooney details how 34 related patents are pending or granted across major agrochemical corporations, with an estimated 80 percent of commercial seed projected to carry Terminator traits by 2010. He urges listeners to write Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman demanding the technology be shelved before it reaches the global marketplace.