Ever since genetically modified crops appeared, supporters and detractors of the plants have made competing claims about whether they are safe or harmful to the environment. There are many naysayers out there pouring doubt on whether an ambition like this could be reasonably achieved in the more discerning consumer market of the UK, let alone at home. Most of the genetic resources needed to fuel the new revolution lie in the ecosystems of the south. In the years ahead, the planet's shrinking gene pool is going to become a source of increasing monetary value. Multinational corporations are already scouting the continents to locate microbes, plants, animals and humans with rare genetic traits that might have market potential.
Biotech firms have patented genes even before they know what they do.
One hot day in September 1893, at the sound of the starting guns, the rich prairie soil of the Cherokee Strip in Oklahoma was darkened by a flowing wave of humanity, horses and wagons. The United States government was giving away 33 000km2 of Indian territory to any settler able to race fast enough to stake a claim. Life is what you make of it. Right now, what you make of it is money. Consumers International, the world consumer watchdog body, has decided to advocate accessible health care and strengthen its resolve against patents and genetically modified food.