The "gene revolution", just like the "green revolution", is concentrating ownership of the most productive land while structural causes of global poverty and hunger remain unresolved, a conference in Co Cork has been told.
The stark message from farmers and NGOs (non-governmental organisations) in developing countries was that far from being in the interests of food security for the world's poor, genetic engineering in agriculture was likely to exacerbate current problems of poverty and malnutrition, according to Mr Tom Campbell of the Development Studies Centre at Kimmage Manor, Dublin.
Increasing agricultural production, even assuming it was possible with biotechnology and GM foods, would facilitate only larger farmers who could afford expensive inputs, he said.
Leaving the causes of poverty un-addressed was a recipe for continuing starvation among hundreds of millions of people, he told the conference in Skibbereen on "Challenging the Globalisation of Food and Agriculture". It was staged by Growing Awareness, a local NGO set up by speciality food producers and organic farmers, and attended by more than 300 people.
Notwithstanding Monsanto's "let the harvest begin" advertising campaign last year, multinational interests were seizing local genetic resources, Mr Campbell said, and most biotech products emerging from this process were aimed at consumer niche markets in the northern hemisphere.
The genetic make-up of a "bio-patented" seed was invariably the property of multinational corporations, so the farmer could merely lease it, said environmentalist Dr Ruth McGrath of Voice. With patented crops, saving seed for next year was no more.
Traditionally, a patent was a bargain between inventor and society. Today, most patents were granted to multinationals with global reach and market control. "The bargain has become unbalanced in favour of powerful corporations."
Mr Richard Douthwaite, an economist, said fossil energy use in food production had increased sharply in 100 years, enabling large quantities of food to be shifted around the world. But oil production was expected to peak within 10 years and gas production a decade later.
It would soon be a case of localise or starve, he said. Transportation costs would rise sharply, forcing "re-localisation".
The Minister of State for Agriculture, Mr Ned O'Keeffe, who opened the conference, defended the European vision of agriculture. It was not just about profit-making. "It takes into account environmental, social and rural development aspects in every decision."
Green MEP Ms Patricia McKenna said the European Commission should ask why it was making a show of its ambitious new food-safety plan, which responded to "well-founded public concerns", while at the same time continuing to encourage intensive farming with subsidies which undermined agriculture in developing countries.
The choice was intensification or more local production, said Ms Mary-Anne Bartlett of Compassion in World Farming. Intensification meant more factory farms; more attempts to force animals to produce greater amounts faster using drugs, high protein diets and genetic engineering.
Consumer power was flexing its muscles when it came to GM food, said Ms Jo Goldsmid of Genetic Concern. "People are waking up to the fact they have the power to stem the GM food tide."
