GLASGOW FORUM ON GENETIC ENGINEERING CALLS FOR MORATORIUM ON GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOODS

Experts highlight increasing risks for health

Reflecting the growing public concern about all aspects of food safety, particularly in relation to genetic engineering, the public forum, held on 15 March, in Glasgow by the Scottish Consumers’ Association for Natural Foods (S.C.A.N.F.) has called for a complete moratorium on the use of genetically engineered organisms (bacteria, plants and animals).

George Stidolph, S.C.A.N.F. Chairman, said, "Everyone is worried about the unpredictable consequences of the increasing manipulation of our food. The Scottish Consumers’ Association for Natural Foods wants to alert everyone to the dangers and to see a more responsible approach that puts human health and safety first and does not risk irrevocable damage to the living environment."

During the well-attended conference, geneticist Dr Michael Antoniou, senior lecturer and researcher in molecular biology, addressed the fundamental issues of genetic engineering in food. He said, "It is assumed that the introduced gene will behave in exactly the same way in its new host as it does in its natural environment, but this will frequently not be the case. The effects always combine to produce a totally unpredictable disturbance in host genetic function as well as in that of the introduced gene."

Risks of new diseases

Dr Ricarda Steinbrecher, geneticist and co-ordinator of the Test Tube Harvest Campaign for the Women’s Environmental Network, added that the long-term environmental impact of transgenic crops is still far from clear. "Transgenic crops can cross-pollinate with related wild varieties. At the same time, many species of micro-organisms are naturally adapted to pick up and pass on new genetic material through a number of different mechanisms, which can result in the very rapid spread of engineered traits, including antibiotic resistance. We would also see the creation of new strains of disease-causing viruses with an altered host-range, as well as herbicide resistant plants or ‘superweeds’," she said.

Craig Sams, Treasurer of the Soil Association and founder/owner of Whole Earth Food, said, "Organic agriculture now achieves high levels of productivity, quality and competitiveness without the unacceptably high ‘hidden’ costs of industrial agriculture, where the costs of dealing with water pollution, environmental degradation, pesticide poisoning, food poisoning and BSE don't show up on people’s food bills, which is where these costs belong. There is every reason to fear that society will have to foot the bill for the side-effects of genetic engineering, while its propagators walk away with the profits."

A call to respect Natural Law

Peter Warburton, Deputy Leader of the Natural Law Party, said that there was ample scientific and practical evidence to support an immediate and complete moratorium on the release of genetically modified organisms. "However great or small the risks may seem to be, the Natural Law Party believes that life should never be sacrificed for economic gain," he said.

While the Natural Law Party would ban genetically engineered foods until there is incontrovertible evidence confirming their safety, the party would also implement proven programmes to raise the level of consciousness of the individual and society. "By bringing the collective consciousness of the nation more in alliance with Natural Law, there will automatically be more support from manufacturers, retailers, and consumers for an approach to agriculture and food which is more natural, healthy and life-supporting," Mr Warburton said.

Political parties and other groups speak out

All of the main political parties were invited to the forum to present their policy on genetic engineering of food. The Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Food Safety for Scotland, Eileen McCartin, said that her party supports full-disclosure labelling as well as complete segregation of genetically engineered crops.

The Green Party called for a moratorium, while the Scottish National Party said it will encourage organic farming and support clear labelling of genetically engineered foods.

Conference participants expressed disappointment that neither Conservative nor Labour parties sent a representative or a statement. Conference chairman, George Stidolph, observed that the qualified support of both these parties for genetic engineering is widely out of tune with public opinion, since recent surveys show that 96% of people do not want to eat these foods at all. "BSE, E. coli and other recent food scares have made everyone very wary of experimental food technologies," he said.

Other organisations also presented their viewpoint. Iceland, the frozen food retailer, said they will be rigorously excluding all genetically altered foods from their own-brand products. Highland and Greencity Foods explained all they were doing to keep their organic food supplies pure. Friends of the Earth pointed out that the legacy of introducing genetically modified foods will be an increasingly polluted environment and food supply because of increased agricultural dependence on chemicals. Greenpeace outlined the many successes of their dramatic campaigning throughout Europe.

Conference resolution

The conference agreed the following resolution:

The 100 conference participants also resolved to write to their MPs and MEPs as well as to press and consumer groups expressing their concerns.

In particular, they will be campaigning for responsible decisions to be made at the UN Codex Committee on Food Labelling from 14-18 April 1997. "With the enormous lobbying power of the multinational biotechnology companies, there is a great danger that this committee will allow thousands of genetically engineered products to flood the world market without proper testing and without even being labelled," Mr Stidolph said. "We must stand up for our rights as consumers and refuse to be guinea-pigs in this dangerous global experiment."