Genetically Manipulated Organisms |
| Dr. Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): What assistance she plans to give to developing countries to enable them to assess the risks and benefits of genetically manipulated organisms. The Secretary of State for International Development (Clare Short): We will shortly publish a policy statement on genetically modified organisms in developing countries. As my hon. Friend will know, genetic manipulation is a much wider and less precise concept. Our aim is to help to equip developing countries to manage the safe development and use of those technologies and to apply the guidelines for safety in biotechnology provided by the United Nations Environment Programme. Dr. Jones: I am glad that my right hon. Friend agrees that biotechnology has the potential to improve the yield and quality of food protection in developing countries. For example, high levels of blindness in India could be dramatically reduced if the corn used in traditional meals included GM corn containing high levels of vitamin A. However, it is also important that Governments have access to high-quality technical information that is independent of commercial considerations, and that is a proper role for overseas aid. It is also important that Governments should be able to reject technologies that they consider to be harmful -- for example, the terminator gene. How confident is my right hon. Friend that they will continue to have that power, given the might of the multinational companies, possibly backed up by the World Trade Organisation? Clare Short: I agree with almost all the points that my hon. Friend makes. The technology can bring benefits, but countries need the capacity to understand the pros and cons, to manage the process and diminish the risk. The statement that we are about to publish outlines those concerns and the ways in which we will work with other countries to increase their capacity to manage the technology and make decisions about the use of it. I also agree that the danger is that major companies will misuse their power to force the technology on to countries without their knowledge, through the import of either seeds or food that is a product of the technology. We need agreement on a biosafety protocol to the convention on biological diversity, which lays down rules on trans-boundary use of GMOs. We are working for that, although we did not get agreement on it at the last talks, as my hon. Friend will know. We must enhance the capacity of developing countries to make decisions; and we need an international convention. |