Patenting Life? Stop!: Is Corporate Greed Forcing Us to Eat Genetically Engineered Food?

The idea that anyone might try to take out a patent on life or on THE any component of life, fills most people with horror. Yet such developments are now facing the world, as transnational corporations extend the control which, over the past fifty years, they have gained over agriculture and food, into other areas. Patenting Life? Stop! argues that these corporations are promoting biotechnology in agriculture even though many independent scientists have genuine fears about the safety of foods produced by current genetic engineering technology. Other scientists argue that GE agriculture will have a major negative impact on the environment and will further undermine biodiversity. Patenting Life? Stop! shows how corporations stifle supervision by public authorities or criticism by the scientific community. If the corporations are successful, a handful of them will control the seeds of all staple crops globally. This would be a nightmare for food security. Patenting Life? Stop! contends that the rush to patent life will devalue all life and, instead of feeding the world, will exacerbate hunger and malnutrition. The claim to patent life is a break with all previous cultural and religious traditions and an affront to them.