After Terminator, Traitor surfaces

Using this technology, companies could come out with very attractive high-yielding seeds, but with a hidden agenda8217;. The seeds, on germination, would accept chemicals or fertilisers only of the parent seed company. Thus, multinationals would, in effect, have their fingers on vital genetic switches that could determine a country8217;s food scenario.

Schwciger admitted that the Traitor technology is still in the drawing board stage, butthe blueprint is almost through. However, the Terminator technology is only a few steps away from commercial application, he said. The technology has been patented in 52 countries.

The Green Peace activist also flayed moves to stuff supermarket shelves with healthy-looking genetically-modified GM foods. Genetic engineering in foods and agriculture still has to undergo a baptism by fire as the long-term repercussions have still not been understood. quot;It is not genetic engineering, but genetic pollution that is now taking place,quot; he said. Genetic modification is an irreversible process sometimes leading to quot;out-crossingquot; 8211; where genes jump across a wide cross-section of species.Schwciger pointed out that there are no real and effective repair mechanisms should a genetic catastrophe occur through genetically modified agricultural practices. He also called for strict legislations to check secret trails and technology. Kathryn Tulip of UK-based Genetix Snowball said GM foods are a public and environmentalhazard. quot;Such genetic determinism could lead to unknown toxins and untested proteins getting into human population chains,quot; she added.

The two environmental activists called for strict labelling norms where the public is given a choice of selecting between GM and Organic foods. However, they were at pains trying to brush aside some of the spectacular gains due to genetic engineering, especially in nations which have an abnormal population size and shrinking agricultural holdings.

They also admitted that very few countries have taken steps to keep out aggressive genetic manipulation in agriculture. Director of Deccan Development Society P V Satheesh, who was also present, advocated a revival of time-tested traditional methods and said NGOs in India were ready for a public debate with multinationals on the issue of GM foods.