Paterson Presents ISAAA Report in Pretoria, SA
February 25, 2015| |
Former UK Environment Secretary, Owen Paterson, presented the ISAAA report on the Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2014 (Brief 49) during a media conference on February 24, 2015 in Pretoria, South Africa.
In his speech, he collectively called the humanitarians and environmentalists opposing biotech as "green blob", a term which is based on a sci-fi movie character from outer space that swallows everything in its path. According to Paterson, these groups claim to have an interest of the planet and the countryside at heart, but it is increasingly clear that it is focusing on the wrong issues and doing real harm while profiting handsomely.
"Green Blob myths like ‘GM Indian Farmer Suicide' are retarding the adoption of new science in the developing world. Yet Africa is showing Europe the way," he stressed. Paterson also shared the good news about biotech, based on the ISAAA report. "Biotech continues to be the most rapidly adopted agricultural technology in history. During the 19 years GMO crops have been commercialized, we have seen a more than 100-fold increase in the area planted," he said.
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