Mushrooming questions about plant-breeders rights: Church seeks white paper, public hearings, cites danger to farming through cost increases
https://archives.anglican.ca/link/official1912
- Date
- 1988 June 10
- Source
- Anglican News Service
- Type
- Press Release
- Text of motion
- TORONTO, June 10, 1988 -- Legislation now before the House of Commons raises serious ethical issues and could impose extra hardship on Canadian farmers, the Anglican Church of Canada says.
- Bill C-107, an act to establish "plant-breeders rights", has received first reading in the House. The church says there should be public hearings across Canada before the bill receives second reading.
- In a letter to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, the Church's general secretary lists several concerns about the legislation which would allow corporations to take out patents on plants. David Woeller says this raises important ethical questions: "Something as basic to the future of all human beings as food must be seen in a context broader than that of individual or corporate property rights and must not be decided only by plant scientists and big business."
- The letter notes that this is the first time Parliament has addressed the concept of "patenting" life forms. It says once any kind of life form -- even plant life -- becomes established as a commodity to be bought and sold, it will become extremely difficult to draw the line: "The United States began with plant patenting but has moved to allow patenting for micro-organisms and animals.
- "Earlier this year Harvard University was granted a patent for a mouse containing human genes ..... There is no difference between human genetic material and the genetic material of any other species."
- The letter raises three additional concerns:
- First it says "Bill C-107 is addressing the wrong issue". The real issue is to ensure adequate funds for agricultural research. It suggests this should be done through public funding, rather than through increasing profits to agricultural companies. It says there should be a white paper on the future of agricultural research to allow Canadians to consider this issue in its broader context.
- Second, the evidence suggests that "agricultural input costs will increase substantially" as a result of the legislation".
- -- there will be an immediate increase in seed costs of 10 percent, according to an estimate by the Manitoba department of agriculture;
- -- several estimates predict a further rapid rise in prices, by at least 30 percent;
- -- the example of pharmaceutical companies causes special concern. These companies recently received similar patent protection for prescription drugs. At that time, the federal government said price increases would not exceed the Consumer Price Index (about 5 percent). In fact, a study by the government of Ontario revealed that more than 1,000 drugs had excessive price increases over a six month period -- and some increased by more than 100 percent ! Many of the pharmaceutical companies responsible for these price increases are the same companies which seek patents on their seeds.
- Third, the bill would operate to the detriment of Third World agriculture which has supplied us with much of our "germplasm" -- the genetic material of plant breeding -- free of charge. Bill C-107 flies in the face of United Nations initiatives to ensure "farmers' rights".
- The letter concludes by urging the government to initiate public hearings to be held across the country before proceeding with the legislation.
- -30-
- For further information, contact:
- Peter Hamel, National Affairs Consultant, or
- David Pollock, Economic Justice Consultant,
- (416) 924-9192
- or Doug Tindal, Director of Communications
- (416) 924-9192; residence (416) 335-8349
- Subjects
- Patents - Religious aspects - Anglican Church of Canada
- Food supply
- Food supply - Religious aspects - Anglican Church of Canada
- Ecology - Religious aspects - Anglican Church of Canada
- Plants, Protection of
- Biotechnology - Religious aspects - Anglican Church of Canada
- Agricultural biotechnology - Canada
- Agricultural biotechnology - Religious aspects - Anglican Church of Canada
- Agriculture - Canada
- Agriculture - Religious aspects - Anglican Church of Canada