Genetically Modified Organisms and Free Trade: Drawing on the Experiences of Taiwan, China and Thailand - People's Forum on Food Sovereignty Series, Part One

Text by Ye Mingzheng, edited by Chen Ying'en
Photography by Chi Yilin

Forum topic: Genetically modified crops and germplasm conservation

Moderators: Huang Shude (chairwoman of the board of the Homemakers United Foundation Cooperative, Taiwan, China), Guo Huaren (professor in the Department of Agronomy at National Taiwan University)

Presenter: Baramee Chaiyarat of the Assembly of the Poor (AOP Thailand)

 

Introduction:

The issue of genetically modified crops has not yet received widespread attention and discussion in Taiwan, China, especially at the consumer level; at the same time, because farmers are both producers and consumers, the impact should be even more drastic. Genetically modified crops have had many kinds of effects on countries around the world. The five major chemical companies that produce genetically modified crops all began as pesticide manufacturers, and the new products they have developed over the past decade are profitable through seeds, accounting for 58% of the world's seed trade value (the top three alone account for 53%); the world's top ten seed companies account for 73% of total seed trade value. If this trend is extrapolated, the vast majority of farmers around the world are in substance controlled by seed companies, which is equivalent to seed companies controlling the world's food production. Seed companies control farmers through patents and royalty systems, forcing farmers to pay money to seed companies to buy their seeds. This control cuts off farmers' customary practice of saving seed for their own use[1], and also causes damage to farmers' economic livelihoods (in the United States, genetically modified seed costs two to five times as much as ordinary seed, and the harvest of genetically modified crops has not increased).

India has suffered the most severe harm from genetically modified seeds. Indian farmers grow cotton, and farmers have the custom of saving seed each year; however, the American company Monsanto came to India to promote its genetically modified varieties. To increase yields, Indian farmers turned to planting genetically modified seeds, but because Indian farmers lacked funds, they borrowed from banks and underground lenders to buy Monsanto's seeds. When genetically modified seed production failed, farmers' already fragile economies faced even more severe challenges; most of them were unable to repay their loans, causing their farmland to be seized by banks or underground lenders. Especially in the past five years, there have been many cases of Indian farmers committing suicide because they could not repay seed loans. This is the greatest harm caused to farmers by seeds produced through genetically modified technology.

Back in Taiwan, China, the government does not yet permit the cultivation of genetically modified crops, but it has already begun research on genetically modified seeds. The cultivation of genetically modified crops leads to genetic contamination[2]. Take Mexico as an example: Mexico is the homeland of corn, and many nutritious native corn varieties in Mexico have been contaminated by genetically modified crops, which has also caused local crop diversity to drop sharply. As for what the effects of genetically modified crops are, more regions where genetically modified crops are grown should be collected as experience and research references.

At present, 450 farming households in Taiwan, China have already cooperated with the Homemakers United Foundation to jointly carry out a genetically modified-free agricultural zone project. Taiwan, China, like Thailand, is conducting research on genetically modified crops. In the research on genetically modified papaya in Taiwan, China, although the government has not approved farmers to grow genetically modified crops, a 2005 survey by the Council of Agriculture pointed out that varieties of genetically modified papaya had already flowed out to the public. In addition, because the Taiwan, China government's fallow land policy encourages farmers to plant green manure to receive fallow subsidies, and green manure crops are usually legumes, some seed dealers have been found selling feed-grade seeds from American genetically modified companies, which may pose a potential threat to farmland.

Thailand and Taiwan, China have both suffered harm from genetically modified crops, so the Taiwan Rural Front specially invited Mr. Baramee Chaiyarat, a partner of La Via Campesina and one of the organizers of the Assembly of the Poor, Thailand (AOP), to this forum session to share with friends concerned about agricultural issues in Taiwan, China the effects of the genetically modified crop issue in Thailand.

 

The genetically modified crop problem in Thailand, and the Thai authorities' response

For a long time, Thailand has been praised as a land of abundant produce, and it has well preserved the biodiversity of animals and plants. But according to some recent scientific research reports, even abundant Thailand has also seen the problem of a food crisis, mainly because of genetically modified crops and the conservation of germplasm.

In 2001, Greenpeace Thailand produced a survey listing foods containing genetically modified ingredients and submitted a regulatory demand to the government for labeling genetically modified foods. However, this demand did not receive attention. Even though the initiative to label genetically modified foods did not succeed, the government currently has a certain degree of regulation over the cultivation and production of genetically modified crops. The surprising result is that although the Thai government claims to regulate genetically modified crops, the market is already flooded with the sale of seeds and foods such as genetically modified cotton, soybeans, and papaya, so we began to doubt whether the Thai authorities' current legal regulation of genetically modified crops is effective. At present in Thailand, genetically modified crops remain at the research stage; although it is not certain whether the effects of genetic modification are good or bad, it is already a fact that genetically modified crop seeds and agricultural products can easily be obtained on the market. AOP once conducted a survey of soybean and soy sauce sales in a traditional market in Thailand and found that most of these crops were genetically modified.

Another survey found that some cotton fields in northern Thailand have already been contaminated by genetically modified crops: the locally grown cotton fields were genetically contaminated due to the spread of pollen. In this way, the cotton seeds legally used by small farmers in Thailand, because of Monsanto pollen drifting over from neighboring farms, caused their own legal cotton fields to also produce seed genes patented by Monsanto, and they were threatened by Monsanto, forcing farmers suffering genetic contamination to destroy their own cotton fields or pay patent royalties to Monsanto.

Furthermore, taking papaya as an example, although the Thai government claims that genetically modified papaya varieties are controlled, varieties still flow out, and Taiwan, China has a similar phenomenon. Generally, genetically modified papaya looks larger and has a fairly good taste; farmers unfamiliar with the genetically modified issue mostly choose to grow genetically modified papaya out of consideration for production efficiency. However, farmers who switch to planting genetically modified seeds ignore or belittle the importance of germplasm conservation.

In addition to affecting farmers, genetically modified crops have also had a considerable impact on Thailand's biodiversity. In Thailand, the cultivation and production of genetically modified crops are still illegal, but the problem of genetically modified crops flowing out is becoming more serious day by day. The Thai government has almost no ability to control the outflow of genetically modified crops within its borders, and there is not yet enough research data to grasp the cultivation status and impact of genetically modified crops. However, if the Thai government openly permits the sale of genetically modified crops, domestic small farmers will immediately face serious problems: they will have to buy patented genetically modified seeds, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides from large multinational corporations. In this way, once the agricultural production process and inputs are entirely controlled by large multinational agribusiness corporations, small farmers will be reduced to slaves of large multinational agribusiness corporations, and before there is confirmed research on the effects of genetically modified crops on the human body, consumers are also at great risk.

 

The impact of international free trade organizations on Thailand: the example of genetically modified seeds

In the near future, Thailand will join the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)[3]. Although the Thai government has already established institutional regulations for the seed market, in response to the AEC's international trade situation, Thailand may open the market for genetically modified seeds. To respond to the AEC trend, Thai officials have already established a committee to discuss the possible multi-faceted impacts on the country of opening the genetically modified seed market. However, judging from the composition of the committee, there are three academic members who are also senior executives of seed companies; in addition, the committee's chair and key cadres have all served in leadership positions in seed companies. From the above situation, it can be inferred that, regarding the response strategy formulated by the committee established by the Thai government for opening the genetically modified seed market, the people can probably hardly expect them to draft actions to safeguard germplasm conservation.

At present, Thailand still has no substantive law protecting germplasm, so large multinational corporations can enter Thai civil society to conduct research on genetically modified seeds. Because the committee established in Thailand cannot guard the preservation of domestic germplasm, Thailand's citizens and social groups have united to devote attention to and discuss the possible impact of opening the genetically modified seed market on Thai agriculture and farmers, and have formed the "Seed Freedom" organization to resist large multinational corporations' genetically modified intervention in seeds, and further to present their demands to the Thai government.

The following are the four demands that "Seed Freedom" presented to the Thai government:

1. When the government has no legal public authority to guard germplasm protection, the people must stand up to speak for farmers' rights and interests, in order to protect Thai agriculture and seeds.

2. The government should support small farmers' seed saving, and small farmers must also help support their own germplasm conservation; the government must assist and establish seed research centers and germplasm conservation centers.

3. The government should support local agricultural research and local communities.

4. The government should support the local use and conservation of seeds.

At this stage, the problem of monopoly by large seed companies has already appeared in Thailand, and the Thai government must formulate and improve laws and policies against seed monopolies in response to this situation.

 

Legal regulation of the genetically modified issue, from Thailand to Taiwan, China

Following Baramee's mention of the legal work Thailand has carried out for crop germplasm conservation and the demands it has raised, Teacher Guo Huaren opened further discussion on the measures the Taiwan, China government has taken for germplasm conservation. In 2010, the Taiwan, China government planned to amend the Patent Act and intended to include plant varieties in patent regulations. Including plant germplasm in the amendment of the Patent Act would cause Taiwan, China to lose seed autonomy, greatly harming small farmers. The Homemakers United Foundation, the Taiwan Seed Improvement and Propagation Station Association, and environmental protection groups concerned about related issues raised demands and jointly opposed the government's amendment to include plant germplasm in the Patent Act. It was not until 2011 that the Intellectual Property Office dropped the idea of amending the Patent Act.

However, the Taiwan, China government is preparing to join an international free trade organization. Under a free trade agreement, economic powers such as the United States will inevitably, for their economic interests, repeatedly push the Taiwan, China government to loosen and open the seed market, which will affect the Taiwan, China authorities' relevant regulations applying patent rights to seeds. Teacher Guo Huaren said that at present the Taiwan, China government has not yet included seeds within the scope of the Patent Act. However, future policy trends require more attention.

The current Taiwan, China government requires that the sale of genetically modified products must label the genetically modified ingredients of the product, but enforcement remains loose and lacks relevant penalties, and it is not a regulation at the legal level, but only an administrative order. Take the recently exposed rice noodles made from corn as an example: most corn imported into Taiwan, China is genetically modified corn, yet the ingredient labeling of the rice noodle products did not note genetically modified corn, making it impossible for consumers to obtain transparent information to ensure food safety. In addition, bulk genetically modified products do not need ingredient labeling; the soy milk we normally drink and the tofu in traditional markets, these soy products, are almost all genetically modified crops, and are feed-grade legumes. Yet because information is not transparent, most small producers and consumers have suffered damage to their rights and interests, and the government has also not formulated clear response strategies for genetically modified-related issues.

Teacher Guo Huaren further emphasized that the Department of Health should incorporate the review of genetically modified products and the control of labeling for bulk products into the Act Governing Food Sanitation, and follow the European Union's regulatory standard for genetic modification: if a product has more than 0.9% genetically modified ingredients, it must be labeled (the current standard in Taiwan, China is more than 5%), so that consumers can clearly know on the market whether the products they buy contain genetically modified crop ingredients. In addition, taking soybeans as an example, Teacher Guo also suggested that the government and the public should jointly resume soybean cultivation, and that the government should actively promote farmers' conversion to organic agriculture. In addition, Teacher Guo advocates reallocating the subsidy budget previously harmful to the agricultural environment for fallow farmland and the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and moving it to subsidies for promoting organic agriculture and the planting of organic green manure.