|
|
|
Halt the Terminator
Gardener's Supply Co., a vermont-based
catalog, is taking on the Terminator. The gardening supplies
company has launched a public awareness campaign to mobilize
it's customers to write Congress and demand a ban on
terminator technology and a moratorium on the patenting of
plant genes.
The latest wave in bioengineering, "terminator technology"
selectively programs a plant's DNA to kill its own embryo's,
thus rendering the seed sterile. This prevents farmers from
saving seeds to start next year's crops, forcing them to buy
new seeds annually. Widespread crop sterilization if genes
infect other crops, and financial devastation and famine in
poorer countries are among the risks, accoring to Gardener's
Supply.
The technique was developed jointly by the USDA (which will
receive royalities on terminator seed sales) and the Delta
and Pine Land Co., which was subsequently purchased by
Monsanto.
Contact: Gardener's Supply, (802)
660-3500, http://www.gardeners.com,
or The Ark Institute, http://www.arkinstitute.com
from CO-OP America Connections - Networking for
Responsible Business and Investing. Issue Number 27, Spring
99. The Quarterly Newsletter for the CO-OP America
Business Network and Social Investment Forum Members
http://www.coopamerica.org
http://www.socialinvest.org
|