November 7, 2001

Dear Mr. McConnell

We are extremely disturbed to learn that "Your World" magazines, known to be funded by the biotech industry (in particular Volume 10, issue 1 on genetically modified crops), are being heavily promoted in Scotland's schools.

In allowing this the industry has been given an unprecedented opportunity, without the consent or knowledge of parents, to present a biased perspective of biotechnology without any critical appraisal of the very real threats posed by this technology to human health and the environment.

As I am sure you are aware, the genetic modification of crops and food is not only subject to intense political and public debate and opposition within Europe and other developed countries, but also across the developing world. Millions of farmers, consumers and people's organisations, politicians, scientists, religious groups, and indigenous people's have all entered the debate. Without exception, they have all indicated how they will be disadvantaged by the application of this technology.

The biotech industry and its proponents claim genetically modified crops are safe and will be more nutritious, that they will overcome hunger and disease and make agriculture more sustainable by improving soil conditions, reducing pesticide and herbicide use and increasing crop yields. Indeed, the multibillion-dollar corporations behind genetic engineering are adamant that we can't feed the world's rapidly expanding population without it.

Contrary to these claims, the realities are proving to be quite different.

Genetic engineering changes the fundamental nature of the food we eat. Dr. Arpad Pusztai, one of the world's foremost expert's on nutritional studies with 12 scientific books and close to 300 primary peer-reviewed scientific papers published, says there has been little scientific study into the health risks of genetically engineered food. He argues that genetically engineered foods can carry unpredictable toxins and that they may increase the risk of allergenic reactions.

Thirty-seven people have died, 1,500 have been partially paralyzed, and 10,000 have experienced various forms of disability, by a syndrome that was finally linked to "L- tryptophan" - an amino-acid food supplement manufactured using genetically engineered microbes (strain V).

Genetic engineering uses viruses as vectors for the transfer of genes and antibiotic resistance genes to indicate the successful insertion of new genes. This can potentially lead to the development of super-viruses and human antibiotic resistance.

The genetic engineering industry has funneled the vast majority of its investment into the development and commercialisation of a limited range of products. These are of little relevance to consumers or the needs of the worlds poor and hungry. One hundred per cent of the area planted to genetically engineered crops in 2000 were dominated by herbicide tolerant and insect resistant crops or the two traits combined into the one crop. Scientists' estimate that plants genetically engineered to be herbicide-resistant, such as Monsanto's Roundup Ready soybeans will actually triple the amount of herbicide use. Scientists have also found that Roundup Ready soybeans produce less of a yield than conventional soybeans.

The genetic engineering industry is also working on the development of genetically engineered seeds that render crops sterile ('terminator technology') and/ or control their growth and development via chemicals ('traitor technology'). Sterile seeds will deny farmers the right to save seeds for replanting - crucial for the food security of communities. Approximately 1.4 billion farmers, the majority of whom are in the developing world, rely on saved seeds.

It is all too evident that genetic engineering and genetically engineered foods and crops serve the short-term capital interests of a multi-billion dollar industry at the expense of our health, the environment and the livelihoods of millions of farmers. By allowing young minds to be exposed to biotech industry funded public relations propaganda the Scottish education system has become nothing more that a conduit for this motive.

We support the demand made by Scottish Genetix Action for the removal of "Your World" magazines from schools throughout Scotland. At the very least the distribution of Volume 10, issue 1 on genetically engineered crops should be stopped until a well-balanced and critical debate and public consultation process is undertaken on the magazine's content.

Yours sincerely,

 
Sarojeni V. Rengam
Executive Director

The Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Asia and the Pacific
P.O. Box 1170, 10850, Penang, Malaysia.
Tel: +(6-04) 657 0271/ 656 0381 
Fax: +(6-04) 657 7445
E-mail: panap@panap.po.my/ pcaravan@tm.net.my 
Web site: http://www.poptel.org.uk/panap/ 

PAN AP is a regional base for PAN - an international coalition of citizens' groups and individuals opposing the misuse of pesticides and support reliance on safe, sustainable pest control methods. PAN AP is linked to more than 150 groups, working consistently with 50 groups in 18 countries in the Asia Pacific region.