The Rural Voice, 1998-12, Page 66BRUCE
446 10th St., Hanover, Ontario N4N 1P9
Email: bruce @ ofa.on.ca 519-364-3050 or 1-800-275-9551
County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER
PHARM - ing in the 21st century
The Greek philosopher, Plato is
accredited with saying "We can easily
forgive a child who is afraid of the dark:
the real tragedy of life is when men are
afraid of the light".
Now before anyone jumps to the
conclusion this is an endorsement of all
technological advancement in agriculture,
particularly to do with bio -sciences —
read on.
Each and every one of us will have
different emotional and ethical feelings
and thoughts about bio -engineering and
technology, and I dare say it will be food
for debate as long as any of us are around.
The issue is not whether we should or
shouldn't, but what role will farmers play
in the future. A technologically driven
agri-food industry is not in doubt. Bury
your head if you wish, but the indisputable
reality is that people want and need food:
food that is safe, nutritious and plentiful.
Consider in 1930 there were 30 million
farmers in the United States feeding about
100 million people. In 1996 300,000
farmers produced over 90 per cent of the
food for approximately 300 million
people, and exported over 40 per cent of
their production.
What happened? The fact is we
became mare efficient, and rather than
expand production using our hands by
farming more land, we expanded with our
minds, and in so doing we saw a
production explosion.
Now we, are seeing the next explosion,
the ability to utilize our increasing
knowledge of cell life itself to design
foods for our usage. Can farmers keep up
— yes, but that's for another discussion.
Like it or not, humans have always
used their ingenuity to solve problems, it
is what sets us above others in the animal
kingdom. If we hadn't, our cave would be
mighty crowded. Many people worry
about our reducing land base •anti our
ability to feed a burgeoning world
population, hence the emergence of
biotechnology. Increasing yields per
hectare through disease control and
genetic selection have proven their worth,
although looking at farm prices one could
wonder if it's been worth it.
So here we are near the end of 1998
and the 20th century, and homo sapiens
are once again flexing their brain muscles
around our abilities to design foods
specifically for health and nutrition.
62 THE RURAL VOICE
Higher oil contents with designed
specifications to meet consumer desires,
induced pharmaceutical benefits in crops
and life sciences applications through
modified livestock production, all speak to
the next trend in the agri-food system.
Companies around the world are
scrambling to obtain international patent
rights on their particular genetic
constructs, hence the discussions taking
place at the Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD),
in Paris, France.
More correctly, the present World
Trade Organization (WTO) agreement on
Intellectual Property Rights (1PR) known
as the Trade Related Aspects of
Intellectual Property (TRIPS) requires
countries provide patents for new
inventions. There areJimited expectations.
Countries, Canada being one of them may
exclude plants and animals, other than
micro-organisms, and biological processes
for the production of plants or animals.
However, countries must provide for the
protection of plant varieties either by
patents or by plant breeders' rights.
There are four major forms of IPR
which can be applied to agricultural plants
and animals.
• Plant Breeders Rights
• Trademarks
• Trade Secrets
• Patents
International events are pushing the
patenting of higher life forms to the
forefront – hello Dolly. (The cloned sheep
for anyone who missed her.) In 1995, the
Canadian Patent Commissioner refused a
;,atent on a transgenic mouse "the Harvard
Mouse". They appealed to the Federal
Court of Canada, and were unsuccessful.
End of story — not at all, just the
beginning. The TRW's agreement under
discussion results from the 1995
Marrakesh agreement that countries agree
to review this issue prior to the next WTO
round coming up in 2001.
BUT what is the Canadian position?
To date we have not bowed to the
pressure to allow unfettered patenting
rights favoured by some multi -national
and biotech companies. BUT for how
long?
There are many very difficult issues
surrounding this whole issue. Ethical and
moral matters abound, particularly when it
applies to animal life form patenting.
Biodiversity with respect to landraces or
local varieties, is a significant discussion
• The Rural Voice is provided to Bruce
County Farmers by the BCFA.
area, particularly in developing countries
— although the recent terminator
technology outcry indicates this is not just
an issue for developing countries. The
right of the farmers to be compensated for
maintaining these local varieties is often
called "farmers' rights".
A number of options appear possible –
1. The status quo — unlikely.
2. Patents required, for plants and
animals under the same rules as for other
inventions, certainly a favourite in some
countries and companies.
3. Special patent provisions for plants
and animals — considered the likely
option.
BUT, and 1 repeat BUT, and this is
where farmers must demand discussion,
what role will farmers play?
If Canada signs, which they will, it is
imperative farmers have input and
knowledge into the Canadian position,
remembering these discussions are not led
by Agriculture Canada, but by Industry
Canada.
This is perhaps one of the biggest
issues faced by farmers this century, and
certainly has the potential to change
significantly who controls the global food
system. Canadian policy must have as its
main emphasis the ability to give priority
to the legitimate interests of farmers and
maintain its sovereign right to reflect
Canadian values.
If we as farmers wrap ourselves in
arguments around morals and ethics, we
will miss the real game.
This is not about technology, it is
about POLITICS.
Will we be farming in the 21st
century? Of course. Will we have the
decision-making ability on our farms, or
be just workers on our own plantations?
Our ability to focus on the key
agricultural issues, and to mobilize our
elected representatives will very much
decide the answer to that question.0
Submitted by Tony Morris
Carrick Township Director
BRUCE COUNTY FEDERATION
OF AGRICULTURE
Directors' Meeting
Tuesday, December 15, 1998
*NOTE • Day Change* - 8:00 p.m.
OMAFRA Boardroom, Walkerton
Members are welcome to attend