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Irish Missionary Union calls for objection to ’pro-GMO’ Vatican study

Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Posted in Genetic Engineering | Tagged Genetic Engineering

The Irish Missionary Union (IMU) is calling on all members to register their objection to a GMO Study Week in Rome for being one-sided. The Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences is organising a study week in May on “Transgenic Plants for Food Security in the Context of Development”.

According to the brochure, the idea of the conference is to explore arguments as to why food security for the poor needs efficient access to GM-technology and why ‘extreme precautionary regulation’ is unjustified.

Members of the IMU have written to the Papel Nuncio, Dr. Guiseppe Leanza, protesting that only pro-GMO speakers have been invited to the conference.

Fr Sean McDonagh, a well-known environmental campaigner, said: “The one certainty about GM crops is that they are making massive profits for biotech corporations such as Monsanto.

The silence on this crucial matter from all those who will be speaking at the Pontifical Academy event is staggering.

“GM has made a fortune for biotech companies. Monsanto’s monopoly position has meant that it can increase both the price of ots GM seeds and herbicide, even when food prices are increasing rapidly, thus pushung more and more poeple into poverty.

“How this technology which is owned by corporations can help the poor is beyond me.”