Call for Catholic stand on GM food (20/2/2007)

EXTRACTS: "Pope John Paul II wrote about social sin which is the sin of introducing an unjust system into society so as to exploit people," Fr Rue says.

"Using international agreements and US-style patenting laws, bio-tech companies are systematically gaining control of the human food chain. Under new copyright law, companies claim ownership of God given life forms from the level of the gene up. By law, bio-tech companies can rob indigenous peoples and farmers of ownership over seeds they have bred and tested, often over millennia. Research is also hindered as bio-tech companies patent scientific advances."
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Columban calls for Catholic stand on GM food
Catholic News, 21 February 2007
http://www.cathnews.com/news/702/116.php

The use of new genetic engineering technologies in the production of food crops poses unknown health risks, Columban Fr Charles Rue says, in a call for an informed Catholic voice on genetically modified foods in the lead up to the NSW election.

In a statement issued this week, the Columban Missionary Society says it is concerned that a future NSW Government will lift its Moratorium on the commercial growing of genetically modified food crops in the State.

The legislation is up for review in 2008. The Australian Federal Government has no such ban and is only being restrained by legislation in the various States, the Columban statement says.

"Catholics have rightly defended human life when it comes to therapeutic cloning," Fr Rue, who is coordinator of the Australian Columban Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation program, says in the statement. "However, an understanding of the dangers to life inherent in bio-technology's scientific processes also applies to foods containing genetically modified ingredients."

"The precautionary principle must be used since the risks to humans and environment associated with deregulation are long term. But, the Catholic voice about producing and consuming genetically modified foods has been muted," Fr Rue says, adding that a better understanding of the technology itself and of the role of patenting laws is needed.

Genetic engineering technology is totally new and imprecise, according to Fr Rue, and genetically modified foods pose unknown health risks for consumers.

There are also risks connected with gene technology spreading into the wider environment.

"It is proven that genes can transfer into native relatives of the genetically modified plants," FR Rue says. "Contamination of the natural gene pool of these plants has two major consequences. First, the insurance policy of gene diversity contained in the wild relatives of such crops as potatoes and wheat may be destroyed.

"Secondly, it will become impossible to grow crops in a conventional or organic way because of cross-pollination. Growers will lose markets and consumers will be denied a choice in what they buy as food crops become contaminated with genetically modified genes."

Fr Rue also says that, as in the medical field, an understanding of the unjust legal appropriation of life forms by biotech companies adds to ethical concerns.

"Pope John Paul II wrote about social sin which is the sin of introducing an unjust system into society so as to exploit people," Fr Rue says.

"Using international agreements and US-style patenting laws, bio-tech companies are systematically gaining control of the human food chain. Under new copyright law, companies claim ownership of God given life forms from the level of the gene up. By law, bio-tech companies can rob indigenous peoples and farmers of ownership over seeds they have bred and tested, often over millennia. Research is also hindered as bio-tech companies patent scientific advances. They charge researchers and institutes before scientists can use these advances in experiments. Peer review becomes difficult."

Saying that transgenic food is an issue for the 2007 NSW elections, Fr Rue calls for an informed Catholic voice to be heard prior to a planned review in 2008 of the present NSW Moratorium on the commercial growing of transgenic crops.


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