APPENDIX 4
Memorandum submitted by Mr Anthony Jackson
I very much welcome your present inquiry, and
the inquiry into other organisations that will follow. This is
a very important area, and needs much more scrutiny, publicity
and solid solutions.
With this in mind I would like to raise a few
points about the role of Dfid.
1. Why does Dfid still support and fund the
development of GM crops?
Evidence of environmental damage and gross mis-allocation
of resources is widespread and yet consistently ignored by Dfid.
As are the overwhelming views of farmers and consumers across
the developing world.
2. Further to this, how can Dfid support
the development of "Terminator" seeds (GURTS)? If these
were ever grown in the open environment, the suicide trait would
cross pollinate with other crops, and the viability of seeds across
the globe would be severely compromised. 1.4 billion people depend
on farm saved seed to survive. Dfid should be supporting them,
and not the seed patents of multinational corporations.
3. Seeds have been developed over millennia
by generations of farmers. They are developed to suit the local
environment and to feed local populations. This was recognised
by the Commission for Intellectual Property Rights (set up by
Dfid), who made a series of important recommendations. However
since CIPR published its report, it has been totally ignored by
Dfid, who seem far more concerned with protecting the intellectual
property rights of multinationals rather than the futures of small
farmers and their environments across the globe.
4. Over the last decade a movement has steadily
been growing that supports the concept of "Food Sovereignty".
This encourages and supports the role of food and agriculture
in feeding people and simultaneously protecting the environment.
It aims to re-localise food production and consumption, and protect
the diversity of agricultural systems and crops around the world.
It is a movement that has grown out of small farmers and producers
themselves and one would think would merit the support of Dfid.
Unfortunately Dfid pays scant regard to this philosophy, instead,
and again preferring to support a model of so called "food
security" which effectively gives the power of "feeding
the world" to a few large agri-businesses and a few large
western governments, and has no concept of environmental protection
whatsoever.
5. Procurement
Does Dfid in the UK only purchase "Fair
Trade" products where they are available? Does Dfid overseas,
purchase locally produced and environmentally sustainable products?
Does Dfid stipulate in its projects that expenditures should be
always spent on locally produced, fair trade and environmentally
sustainable products where they are available?
March 2006
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