Blog Archives
Ditch the precautionary principle and innovate, to further the global control of food
Corporate-political alliances in many countries seek to control the food supply and to profit, not only by trading activities, but by speculation.
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Bayer, Dow Chemical, Novartis and Syngenta – why was Monsanto’s name missing?
Recently, the CEOs of several agrochemical companies sent a letter to the Presidents of the European Commission, Parliament and Council calling on them to stop applying the precautionary principle to risk assessments and start applying the ‘Innovation Principle’, to stimulate economic recovery in Europe.
The companies used the medium of the European Risk Forum, whose policy briefs are said to provide high-level, focused analysis of major regulatory issues; their ‘Communication 12’ may be read via this link.
Was Monsanto following the Tesco example? Having become very unpopular, Tesco dropped its name from its new convenience stores, Was Monsanto advised not to sign by its peers for the same reason – or was it a company decision?
Recently agro-chemical industries have:
- organised the first European Innovation Summit – hosted by Ireland during their EU Presidency;
- posted many ‘opinion pieces’ on various mainstream media on GM (golden rice in particular)
- accused environmentalists of hindering progress and causing the death of thousands of children;
- created media space for ‘GM ambassadors’ such as Mark Lynas and the UK environment minister, Owen Paterson..
However, a recent report from the European Environment Agency has documented the benefits of taking precautionary action which often include resource and cost savings, as well as secondary societal and economic benefits.
It concludes that use of the precautionary principle accelerates innovation, reducing the costs of harm by promoting the development of more efficient and safer alternatives to polluting activities and products.
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