Prof. McGiffen Talks About Biotechnology at NYU Paris Campus

Professor Steve McGiffen gave a talk on "Genetically Modified Organisms: Unsustainable, Undesirable and Unnecessary" at New York University's Paris campus on November 24.

Professor McGiffen has done extensive research on the subject; he is the author of Biotechnology: Corporate Power versus the Public Interest (Pluto Press, 2005)

"My researches demontrated to me that the introduction of GMOs into agriculture is the latest stage of an attempt by a small number of major corporations to exert control over the global food supply at the same time that their power is making it more and more difficult for democratically elected governments, parliaments, and public institutions in general to control their activities. As a near self-sufficient food producer myself, I understand that seed-saving and cross-breeding are at the heart of successful small-scale agriculture. GMOs make this form of agriculture impossible. As a relatively prosperous citizen of a Western society, I am always aware that should my crops fail, I have alternatives. Most small farmers do not have this luxury and this transformation of agriculture which is being imposed takes their fate out of their own hands. I think this is indeed an issue which goes to the heart of the reality of modern international relations."