FAO: ally of transnational

National
The companies seek to governments that authorize transgenic to increase earnings
FAO: ally of transnational
By: Carlos Damián September 16, 2010
Transnational: threat to the food sovereignty
México.- Behind of the call of the Organization of the United Nations for the Agriculture and the Nourishment (FAO) to the fact that the developing countries use the biotechnology to finish with the hunger and the food insecurity is the interest of the large transnational, whose only end is that of to obtain earnings. Pat Mooney, executive director of the ETC, considers that the preparations for this encounter between governments and scientific are ", biased and ignore key scientific and socioeconomic aspects, we have no choice".

The group ETC is a civil organization with headquarters in Canada. Pat Mooney upon abounding about the topic indicates: the biotechnology encompasses many things, but what now it is in discussion the world over, what is real, what cause problems, they are the transgenics. The texts of the FAO and the attitude of confusing what is all, of insisting on not to differentiate the transgenic as a problem and to try in putting all on a same sack titled “biotechnology " is a smoke curtain to cover fund problems. "On this confusion have superposed the image of the fact that the only one exit so that the countries of the south face the hunger is to adopt the biotechnology. But in the reality, the kernel of the biotechnology agricultural are the transgenic, therefore the conference of the FAO is promoting the interest of multinational six that they control such cultivation in the world".

Upon continuing with his conversation Mooney says, the meeting is going directed to the fact that the developing countries adopt these technologies, for what appeal to the argument of the hunger and the foods shortage. It is very laudable its attitude but, What is there behind this? The protection of the interest of industry biotechnological to obtain more earnings. Such industry is controlled by transnational, those which never they have been interested by feeding to the poor, because they can not pay their product. Test of they is that all the research and development that register the companies, almost the two-thirds are chrysanthemums and roses, and they do not cultivate food. Not them interests the hunger neither the poor.

This event special has relevancy after that Mexico had in moratorium the corn sowing transgenic in the national territory, in this way are felt legitimated though they are destroying the genetic diversity of the country and their food bases. In the document seems that speak the governments where are presented but in reality speaks the interest of the transnational therefore is washed the so demoted image of this transnational in the world. Significantly, most of the patents are found in hands of a handful of companies, and three of them: Monsanto, Syngenta and DuPont-Pioneer, they control but of the 90 percent of market of those foods.

Bring face to face such degree of corporative concentration, the acceptance of the food policy promoted by the FAO would imply to put to poor and dependent countries as our on hands of a few transnational and to resign, consequently, to the sovereignty in the field of the foodstuffs. To the risks that enclose the use of transgenic in economic and food safety matter are added the affectations provoked by these to the health and biodiversity. It is relevant that there are three varieties of corn genetically modified by Monsanto can cause damage to the kidneys and the liver (International Journal of Biological Sciences). A variety of corn of the three - NK603 - was authorized by the Secretary of Agriculture, Cattle-raising, rural Development, Fishing and Foodstuff (Sagarpa) to be cultivated experimentally in Chihuahua, Tamaulipas and Sinaloa.

In Mexico as country of the third world do not see any risk for the health and the environment by the transgenic. Here it should be to defend to the native corn but have "a lukewarm vision of the matter". One of the measures to avoid that is cultivated the modified corn genetically it is to grind it so that no longer could be sown. In given case that are contaminated with the imported corn is that go to fall in the dependency of the large companies, if such were must they buy the seed. A relevant case: in 2005 Monsanto requested a patent about the suckling and improvement of the pork races “it wanted to have rights on them without the modification transgenetic, only described the genes and with them would suffice to have rights and to obtain a patent. We present a protection, because seemed us an abuse", reported Christoph Zimmer, of the Union of Producers of Meat of Quality, of Germany, Hohenlohe.

Concerning the nourishment, we have fifty documented of cases of pollution transgenic detected in the last decade in Mexico. In the particular case of Mexico we have corn contaminated in: Chihuahua, Morelos, Durango, Mexico State, Puebla, Oaxaca, San Luis Potosi, Tlaxcala, and Veracruz. In summarized counts the bet of the FAO has obscure fund and not precisely to guarantee to the peoples the nourishment that need. What is originating to guarantee the foodstuffs of the America towns would be went for a walk in the food production model, to promote governmental supports to the rural development and the small agricultural producers, since the large transnational; they will not be able to solve the problems of food shortage in poor countries. (La Jornada, sociedad y justicia, p. 33, February 28, 2010).