Risky Business
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
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With the cloning of Dolly, the public noticed something called biotechnology. Thousands of plants and animals are being genetically engineered: foods for longer shelf life, crops to tolerate more poison chemicals, and pigs so that their hearts can be transplanted into people. Yet so far there has been relatively little public debate about the impact of biotechnology.
RISKY BUSINESS is designed to stimulate discussion about this important subject. What are the effects of this new technology on farmers, our food supply, public health and the environment?
Vividly filmed in laboratories and fields, RISKY BUSINESS presents scientists, industry proponents, environmental and consumer activists from the U.S., Europe, and developing countries who discuss the risks and benefits of biotechnology and its growing international impacts.
'Fills a long-standing need...for a clear, engaging introduction to the environmental and health risks of agricultural biotechnology.' Gene Exchange, Union of Concerned Scientists
'An impressive production the presentation is quite straightforward, avoiding a lot of the biochemical jargon without sacrificing scientific accuracy.' Science Books and Films
'Are we letting the genetic genie out of the bottle before considering the consequences? This professionally produced video suggests that we are, while still giving some time to opposing views.' Video Librarian
'Where is this technology taking us, who benefits and why aren't we having a national discussion on it?' Dave Butcher, Minnesota Food Association
'No jargon, no nonsense filmmaking in the public interest.' Beth Burrows, Edmonds Institute
Citation
Main credits
Dworkin, Mark (screenwriter)
Dworkin, Mark (film director)
Young, Melissa (film producer)
Sieber, Jami (narrator)
Other credits
Videography/editing, Mark Dworkin; music, Jim Alexander, J.K. Black, Jami Sieber.
Distributor subjects
Agriculture; American Studies; Animal Rights; Biotechnology; Environment; Food And Nutrition; Genetically Modified Foods; Genetics; Globalization; Humanities; Law; Science, Technology, Society; Social Psychology; Sustainable DevelopmentKeywords
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Every creature on earth is unique.
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We each inherit our own set of genes
that guide how we grow and respond to
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our environment but now scientists can
transfer genes between different species.
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Taking a characteristic from one plant
or animal and giving it to another
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it\'s a whole new relationship
with creation that
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we\'re establishing through
this biotechnology.
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The Tree of Life which has
developed over millennia.
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Which means that certain
species Do not share
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genetic material with other species
we don\'t exactly know why they don\'t.
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But they\'ve developed in this way
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genetic engineering is transforming
science and agriculture but
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there\'s not much public awareness
of what the new technology can
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do what is it being used
for who will it benefit.
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What are the risks to the environment
and public health technologies don\'t
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appear God doesn\'t will them and nature
doesn\'t bring them forth by definition.
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Their acts of humans
purposeful acts of humans.
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So we ought to have a whole much more spirited
debate about what kinds of technologies
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we want which is a debate
about what kind of
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society we want what do we want to
achieve what do we want to bring forth
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We need to be careful with numerical
technologies that claim to be safe.
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The last revolution in
agriculture left farmers
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dependant on artificial
fertilizers and toxic sprays.
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Still genetic engineering is intriguing.
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If scientists find a gene
that helps one plant or
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animal resist disease They can transfer that
gene into the crop they\'re working on and
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farmers won\'t need to spray
as much you\'re limited in
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classical plant breeding because I
can only cross led us to things
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that will cross with let us like the prickly
lattice one the very calm winds around
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here but I can\'t go to tomatoes
or I can\'t go to breath
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because I can\'t go to rife
once they\'ve isolated
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a desirable genes scientists tried to
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incorporate it into the DNA of
the target plant or animal.
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Some use bacteria to transfer
the gene and these are
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actually small pieces of lettuce
tissue here and what we\'ve done is
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we\'ve incubated them with the agrobacteria
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and after two days Plate
them on a Petri dish like
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this but it has an antibiotic
that kills the agrobacterium
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the agrobacterium has done its job
and then we regenerate plants.
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Back from these four pieces
of tissue and those bonds
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hopefully we\'ll have the gene inside
them that the bacteria is but in
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other researchers or engineering
rice to fight off a deadly disease
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that\'s spread widely during the Green
Revolution the pathogen and we\'re
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looking at causes or worse
bacterial disease in Asia and
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also affects crops in Africa and
sometimes it can reduce yield
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up to 50% so what we\'ve done is we\'ve
isolated a resistance gene from
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a wild species Introduced it using
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molecular biology techniques
into a cultivator variety.
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Researchers say genetic engineering
can help feed the world and improve
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the environment but the products coming to
market suggest industry has another agenda.
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Down the road from the
University is counting.
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Which put out the first
genetically altered food.
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So we grow we pack we ship we mark
it and we merchandise with stores.
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Under our brand McGregor the tomato now
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you don\'t have to have a business degree
to understand why we\'re doing this
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the market for tomatoes seeds is $20
million mark the wholesale market for
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tomatoes is 3.5 billion Now cow
gene has its eye on cotton.
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A crop that uses more wheat
and insect killers than any
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other and those chemicals are
losing their effectiveness.
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So we said look the opportunity
here is to go in and use
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this technology to drastically
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reduce the use of chemicals and
charge a premium to the seed.
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It\'s what we did was we put a gene
into a cotton plant that makes
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it totally resistant to a
very effective herbicide.
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But that means you can spray cotton with
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one more toxic chemical in Cal gene
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isn\'t the only company using
genetic engineering this way
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Many of those of us in the environmental
community have argued that
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such projects are antithetical
to what we\'ve been told about
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genetic engineering that genetic engineering
is supposed to be used to reduce
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the incentives for farmers to
use agrochemicals remarks on
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oral cancer causing material it also causes
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Birth The question that they ask is can
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we do it and can we make money
that\'s about as far as they go.
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They\'re not asking the question
of who is going to put
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this on who\'s going to be exposed to it.
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What\'s going to be the effect on the
air and the water and the soil.
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There are alternatives to heavy use
of chemicals organic methods and
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other sustainable farming techniques but
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Biotech receives more research
funding and rather than
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develop a new way to feed the world
industry tends to use the technology to
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prop up the existing system the Green
Revolution in animal production of
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concentrated animals into very small
confined places Which reduce a lot of
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produce a lot of stress as well as
health impacts of the food chain but in
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biotechnology that stressful
production system it\'s not
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question but now the animal is going
to be re-engineered to fit into
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those stressful conditions and now trying to
genetically engineer animals that will be
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more disease resistant
under these conditions but
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the emotional stress the psychological
stress will still be there.
00:06:07.190 --> 00:06:12.049
Animals it can\'t escape from each other
and have no relief from the overcrowding.
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The lungs will still be burning with
the ammonia and the poor ventilation.
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Because there\'s genetic engineering.
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Will never be able to eliminate
the capacity to suffer to
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experience pain Some biotechnology
seems like science fiction.
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The DNA of these pigs has
been engineered to contain
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human genes the goal is to
reduce organ rejection.
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So that hearts livers and
kidneys from pigs like
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these can be transplanted
into people the whole goal of
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Zeno transplantation is to try
and solve the organ throw
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his problem and really as a scientific and
medical communities have looked at this
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the only real solution is to look at
animals is doners and in the case of
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heart transplants as but between
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two thousand and twenty five
hundredth heart transplants done
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every year with an unlimited
supply perhaps as many as
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between 2540 thousand transplants per
year We\'ve been eating too much pork and
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beef and the heart gives out because the
answer is a clogged up well give them
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a pig\'s heart So we will
no longer have Richard the
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Lionheart we\'ll have pizza the
pig heart trotting around.
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Now this is the kind of future that
I think it\'s completely absurd.
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What our true human needs are
we directing this technology
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to genuine human needs or is it
just being directed to the things
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that big corporations can
make the most money off
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many people are concerned whether
they be consumers who were concerned
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about the health of themselves
and their families from
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genetically engineered foods because
the tests are not being done Or people
00:07:42.290 --> 00:07:44.359
who are concerned about the environment
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where they know that ecological
studies are not being
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done to see the full impact of genetic
engineering you need to look beyond
00:07:53.240 --> 00:07:56.689
genetics as plants and animals develop they
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interact with each other in the
environment in a delicate balance Elaine
00:08:01.040 --> 00:08:04.429
inner and Michael Holmes look
at the bigger picture as
00:08:04.430 --> 00:08:09.259
soil ecologists they study the millions
of tiny creatures that live in soil.
00:08:09.260 --> 00:08:11.689
If you reduce those
organisms if you kill them
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off you\'re not going to cycle
nutrients you\'re not going to hold
00:08:14.450 --> 00:08:17.629
onto water or in the nutrients and
system you\'re not going to grow
00:08:17.630 --> 00:08:21.469
plants A German lab engineered
soil bacteria to turn
00:08:21.470 --> 00:08:24.589
crop waste into ethanol
but what could happen if
00:08:24.590 --> 00:08:28.939
the bacteria got out of the
laboratory and into a wheat field in
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one experiment the plant
died in other cases
00:08:32.675 --> 00:08:38.808
the genetically engineered organism had a
significant impact on soil food web organisms
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that are important for nutrient
cycling and therefore would have
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a detrimental effect on plant growth
or nutrient cycling processes in
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the soil in the worst-case
scenario it would outright
00:08:53.090 --> 00:08:58.189
kill all of our agricultural
crops except for perhaps a few
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that are tolerant of Ethanol production
in their root systems like rice for
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example genetically altered plants
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and animals can multiply or interbreed with
00:09:13.730 --> 00:09:16.009
related species they have to be
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isolated from the environment
until they\'re known to be safe.
00:09:19.535 --> 00:09:22.009
Even field tests can be risky.
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Under the wrong conditions one transgenic
mistake could upset a whole ecosystem in
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general transgenic organisms are very
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dangerous right and he says if you
do experiments with potatoes in
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the US it\'s hazardous but it\'s even more
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dangerous and Ecuador where there
are wild relatives of the potato.
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When Crop is engineered to have
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herbicide tolerance resistance
to herbicides and that crop.
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Can exchange genes as part of its normal
evolutionary process with wild VD relatives that
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genetic material that makes for
00:10:03.460 --> 00:10:07.239
herbicide resistance can actually
transfer to neighbouring crops and you
00:10:07.240 --> 00:10:13.224
get the production of super weeds
genetically engineered fish.
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Had been released into our environment
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the superficial tilapia
is starting to eat up
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Indigenous fisheries that
exist in the Philippines
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and is creating some sort of
environmental impact But this never pass
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through the biosafety guidelines the
dangers aren\'t always so immediate.
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Some experiments seem
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to be good ideas like putting
a gene for Bt toxin or
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natural insecticide right into
the DNA of trees and crops.
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It he has a tremendous
environmental records.
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Basically only toxic to the
target insect and then only if
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they bite the plan and so the hope
there is that they will produce
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trees that are insect resistant
and require much less use of
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pesticide corn cotton and potatoes have
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also been engineered to
make their own bt But
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insects keep evolving
with so much bt around.
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They\'ll just evolve faster to resist
it so where does that leave us one it
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has been a short-term reprieve from
the use of synthetic insecticide.
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Second organic and sustainable ag
growers they\'re very people who
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are leading us in the right
direction in agriculture will have
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lost one of their most important
biological insecticides we
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haven\'t learned we went out with
pesticides and we\'ve created
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all kinds of resistance
problems and so now that
00:11:39.395 --> 00:11:43.399
the people with the same brilliant thinking
that brought us pesticides are going to
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say I\'ve got something
else for you And they\'re
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going to bring us these other
technologies which will invariably
00:11:50.780 --> 00:11:52.039
create the same kinds of
00:11:52.040 --> 00:11:58.414
problems the debate about genetic
engineering isn\'t just for scientist.
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When biotech products come on the market
they can affect anyone in Vermont
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the issue is bovine growth hormone or
bGH which makes cows give more milk.
00:12:08.390 --> 00:12:12.019
I don\'t use it because I don\'t
want to use my cattle i\'m
00:12:12.020 --> 00:12:15.559
not so Dead certainly on the health
effects on them and reuse it for
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that reason that I don\'t use it because
I\'m concerned about the economics
00:12:19.340 --> 00:12:23.239
of the industry as a whole it\'s
a totally useless product it\'s
00:12:23.240 --> 00:12:27.814
doing more harm than good and the only
one that\'s making any money on it
00:12:27.815 --> 00:12:33.109
Monsanto bGH is reported to cause
00:12:33.110 --> 00:12:37.894
increased disease and birth defects in
Cass yet not everyone is against it
00:12:37.895 --> 00:12:41.284
some CBG h which is also known as BST
00:12:41.285 --> 00:12:45.214
as a quick fix for farmers
caught in a financial squeeze.
00:12:45.215 --> 00:12:49.234
It\'s the one kind of a capital
improvement that you can make to
00:12:49.235 --> 00:12:52.819
increase milk production that pays for
itself before the bill comes due.
00:12:52.820 --> 00:12:54.814
So if you\'re a cash-strapped farm.
00:12:54.815 --> 00:12:57.619
It\'s a great way to increase your milk
production without having to go into
00:12:57.620 --> 00:13:00.859
debt To increase the supply of milk that\'s
00:13:00.860 --> 00:13:05.419
going to do nothing but lower the price of
milk and perhaps some farmers might realize
00:13:05.420 --> 00:13:07.789
a short-term benefit gain by using
00:13:07.790 --> 00:13:10.729
it but in the long term they\'re
essentially going to be.
00:13:10.730 --> 00:13:13.429
Bringing more milk out of that
cows out or for which they will
00:13:13.430 --> 00:13:16.069
be paid less than they will be in
essentially the same position that
00:13:16.070 --> 00:13:19.549
they weren\'t before Ben and Jerry\'s pays
00:13:19.550 --> 00:13:23.399
higher prices to its suppliers
so they won\'t use VGA Jew.
00:13:23.400 --> 00:13:26.389
But consumers find it hard
to avoid products from
00:13:26.390 --> 00:13:31.369
treated cows when Vermont tried to
pass a labeling law Monsanto did
00:13:31.370 --> 00:13:36.019
everything they could to stop it well
it was a multi-year battle to get
00:13:36.020 --> 00:13:39.019
the legislation in place and I
have the feeling that the battle
00:13:39.020 --> 00:13:42.469
isn\'t over The majority of her monitors.
00:13:42.470 --> 00:13:45.799
Do support the labeling the tactics of
00:13:45.800 --> 00:13:50.209
the company were to come in and say well
this is illegal where we\'re going to
00:13:50.210 --> 00:13:54.739
take you right to court the big
dogs coming down and being in
00:13:54.740 --> 00:13:59.479
the halls themselves with the local
lobbyist so it was a full core press
00:13:59.480 --> 00:14:02.629
there\'s no doubt about it we
had people calling him with
00:14:02.630 --> 00:14:06.499
the governor\'s office every
legislator and even people that
00:14:06.500 --> 00:14:09.724
would have voted against the law I
00:14:09.725 --> 00:14:13.399
felt that the political pressure was
so great that they had to vote for
00:14:13.400 --> 00:14:16.729
it the law requires blue shuffle labels for
00:14:16.730 --> 00:14:21.679
all dairy products sold in Vermont
that were produced with BGH or BST.
00:14:21.680 --> 00:14:27.439
But in the long run The fate of BGH depends
on farmers and what the hormone can or
00:14:27.440 --> 00:14:33.274
cannot do for them we all work together
as a family and I think that\'s valuable.
00:14:33.275 --> 00:14:38.314
It\'s hard to work this hard and
still have a hard time financially.
00:14:38.315 --> 00:14:42.109
Good you could do this and pay
your bills they feel better
00:14:42.110 --> 00:14:46.099
about things I think at least
for the time being BSD and it\'s
00:14:46.100 --> 00:14:51.049
helped us to keep the workload
and account numbers down
00:14:51.050 --> 00:14:55.999
to a more manageable number it would
be ideal if we could do it on
00:14:56.000 --> 00:15:04.000
half of this scale not 50 cows and
pay our bills that would be perfect
00:15:05.749 --> 00:15:10.879
We can\'t seem to if it works BST could help
00:15:10.880 --> 00:15:15.799
small well-managed farms like this one to
increase their earnings by getting more milk
00:15:15.800 --> 00:15:19.129
from the same number of
counts if we\'re not going to
00:15:19.130 --> 00:15:23.089
use BST and ordered to take advantage of
00:15:23.090 --> 00:15:26.629
the increase in production to
help offset the lore and price
00:15:26.630 --> 00:15:30.934
a mill what we really need
is a premium put on Mill.
00:15:30.935 --> 00:15:34.729
That comes from cows are not
injective disease status.
00:15:34.730 --> 00:15:39.679
That\'s where I\'d like to see
happen Bovine growth hormone
00:15:39.680 --> 00:15:41.359
seems like a solution in search of
00:15:41.360 --> 00:15:45.109
a problem no one claims that
improves the quality of milk.
00:15:45.110 --> 00:15:50.254
It just forces cows to produce more when there\'s
already a surplus of milk on the market.
00:15:50.255 --> 00:15:52.984
So everyone gets to work a little harder.
00:15:52.985 --> 00:15:56.479
Cows to make more milk and
farmers to pay for doses of
00:15:56.480 --> 00:16:01.699
BGH economically for an
individual person it may
00:16:01.700 --> 00:16:05.524
be beneficial economically
for the industry as a whole
00:16:05.525 --> 00:16:10.504
I think it\'ll hurt us bGH
is bad for family farms.
00:16:10.505 --> 00:16:15.244
Be as BGH increases milk
supply when there\'s more milk.
00:16:15.245 --> 00:16:16.984
It depresses prices.
00:16:16.985 --> 00:16:21.139
What\'s happening is the processors
And the supermarket to making
00:16:21.140 --> 00:16:25.414
greater and greater profits because
the farm prices being forced laugh.
00:16:25.415 --> 00:16:29.089
This is an unnecessary
technology one that has
00:16:29.090 --> 00:16:32.629
the potential to be harmful to
cows and to farmers just because
00:16:32.630 --> 00:16:37.594
we\'ve discovered we can do this does
that mean we should in Wisconsin
00:16:37.595 --> 00:16:39.874
Atlanta Washington and New York City
00:16:39.875 --> 00:16:43.338
consumers are angry over the
governments go ahead for BGH.
00:16:43.339 --> 00:16:46.039
And its decision not to
require dairies they use
00:16:46.040 --> 00:16:50.404
growth hormone to list it as an ingredient
is when you have a controversial.
00:16:50.405 --> 00:16:55.939
New food that\'s been transformed you have to
label it that\'s the law of the land But what
00:16:55.940 --> 00:16:59.539
the Bush and Clinton administration
learned from that is if you label
00:16:59.540 --> 00:17:02.059
controversial foods the public will not
00:17:02.060 --> 00:17:04.849
buy them and the grocery
stores will not sell them.
00:17:04.850 --> 00:17:08.434
Therefore their solution
to the problem is to
00:17:08.435 --> 00:17:13.530
take away our right to know and crammed down
our throats whether we like them or not.
00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:21.289
Most of these foods aren\'t labeled which
00:17:21.290 --> 00:17:24.124
presents a special problem
for people with allergies
00:17:24.125 --> 00:17:29.644
or those who don\'t eat certain foods for
religious reasons and it\'s not just labeling.
00:17:29.645 --> 00:17:33.529
Without better oversight and
regulation of genetic engineering.
00:17:33.530 --> 00:17:38.929
Public health and the environment are at
risk Every time the wind blows across
00:17:38.930 --> 00:17:41.479
the surface of the soil some
of that soil is picked up in
00:17:41.480 --> 00:17:44.869
period down when every time
a bird lands in the field.
00:17:44.870 --> 00:17:47.134
Those organisms would get on its feet.
00:17:47.135 --> 00:17:49.939
Once it\'s out there in the real
world there is no way to contain
00:17:49.940 --> 00:17:52.609
it so you have to know it\'s
safe before you put it out
00:17:52.610 --> 00:17:55.489
there if you look at what\'s happened in
00:17:55.490 --> 00:17:59.299
Japan if you look at the regulatory
situation in Europe and in fact
00:17:59.300 --> 00:18:02.374
those countries have more
stringent regulations
00:18:02.375 --> 00:18:05.569
than in the US and we\'ve
even seen some movement of
00:18:05.570 --> 00:18:09.769
European companies to the United
States specifically because
00:18:09.770 --> 00:18:14.359
the US has relatively weak regulations.
00:18:14.360 --> 00:18:20.779
There\'s a train hurling down the tracks toward
us and Rather than let it pass us by and
00:18:20.780 --> 00:18:23.779
crash that it makes sense to try to slow it
00:18:23.780 --> 00:18:27.634
down and to make sure that their
regulations and other things in place.
00:18:27.635 --> 00:18:30.949
So that the problems that were
caused in the path by for
00:18:30.950 --> 00:18:34.339
example pesticides and nuclear power
and all these other things aren\'t
00:18:34.340 --> 00:18:42.214
repeated biotech companies are based in
the industrialized nations of the North.
00:18:42.215 --> 00:18:46.009
But they are also active in the
south conducting experiments and
00:18:46.010 --> 00:18:50.284
promoting products with fewer safeguards
for health and the environment.
00:18:50.285 --> 00:18:56.749
Most of these developments have occurred
in private industry Third World.
00:18:56.750 --> 00:19:03.169
Countries ensure good applications And
technology are suited to their knees and not
00:19:03.170 --> 00:19:09.934
driven by the concerned look at boida
focusing about up on something that is a CPA.
00:19:09.935 --> 00:19:12.469
But nobody that distinguished
it all after what can
00:19:12.470 --> 00:19:15.019
happen is what\'s called
genetic contamination in
00:19:15.020 --> 00:19:17.329
other words the wilder
traditional varieties of
00:19:17.330 --> 00:19:20.119
potatoes will cross with the
trout gene or whatever has been
00:19:20.120 --> 00:19:24.079
introduced and we don\'t know what
biological or social consequences this will
00:19:24.080 --> 00:19:28.579
have since the potato is central
to Ecuador sculpture inequalities.
00:19:28.580 --> 00:19:30.870
Would have given up upon
00:19:30.940 --> 00:19:35.179
each major crop corn rice wheat came from
00:19:35.180 --> 00:19:38.749
a certain part of the world where
it still has wild relatives.
00:19:38.750 --> 00:19:40.939
When new varieties are needed.
00:19:40.940 --> 00:19:45.499
That\'s where scientists find them The
centers of diversity are the future of
00:19:45.500 --> 00:19:50.089
the world food supply the places
where biodiversity survives.
00:19:50.090 --> 00:19:53.509
Are the places where economic
development had not reached.
00:19:53.510 --> 00:19:56.674
These are the last pockets of biodiversity
00:19:56.675 --> 00:20:01.894
and it is the poor in
those conventional terms.
00:20:01.895 --> 00:20:04.849
Who have been the best
concerns to rob them of
00:20:04.850 --> 00:20:10.369
their capacity of using that diversity
for this survival and therefore being
00:20:10.370 --> 00:20:13.549
able to conserve it means
00:20:13.550 --> 00:20:16.519
not just a major threat
to their survival It
00:20:16.520 --> 00:20:20.850
implies a major threat to the
survival of biodiversity
00:20:22.750 --> 00:20:26.790
in Queensland Kano Simeon
00:20:27.070 --> 00:20:31.849
elemental onto needed when they
discover indigenous knowledge based in
00:20:31.850 --> 00:20:36.169
genetic material the pharmaceutical
industries were patent is we believe that
00:20:36.170 --> 00:20:41.239
what they are doing is Rob Rob.
00:20:41.240 --> 00:20:45.514
One debate about genetic
engineering focuses on patenting.
00:20:45.515 --> 00:20:48.829
Companies won\'t invest in the
technology if they can\'t control
00:20:48.830 --> 00:20:54.319
the results in the US you can patent
genetically altered plants and animals but
00:20:54.320 --> 00:20:58.459
Brazil Argentina India don\'t allow
patents on food or medicine
00:20:58.460 --> 00:21:02.989
And the European Parliament
banned all patents on life and
00:21:02.990 --> 00:21:06.919
there\'s a very strong
movement not only of people
00:21:06.920 --> 00:21:11.599
who are opposed to it for ethical
reasons but many other groups
00:21:11.600 --> 00:21:13.939
environmental groups who fear
that patenting won\'t give
00:21:13.940 --> 00:21:17.599
a big boost to genetically modified
organisms in the environment
00:21:17.600 --> 00:21:20.884
the larger public values
and public morality is
00:21:20.885 --> 00:21:26.074
outraged by certain kinds of patent
regimes in the area of life themes.
00:21:26.075 --> 00:21:29.479
Even when something might
not be violative of
00:21:29.480 --> 00:21:33.889
ethical norms even when something
might not be based on piracy of
00:21:33.890 --> 00:21:37.459
third world knowledge I think
that\'s such an areas of exclusion
00:21:37.460 --> 00:21:41.434
that we need to institutionalize
if they had the public Interest.
00:21:41.435 --> 00:21:45.094
Either in terms of the right
to food or the right to
00:21:45.095 --> 00:21:49.999
under gatt that we will be flooded
with a lot of these products like
00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:52.729
bovine growth hormone milk
which is such an issue in
00:21:52.730 --> 00:21:55.609
the United States and
in Europe but what we\'d
00:21:55.610 --> 00:21:57.139
like to send a message to
00:21:57.140 --> 00:22:01.639
the transnational corporations that
they\'re dealing in the New World.
00:22:01.640 --> 00:22:04.849
Were before in the 70s they could
do this with impunity they cannot
00:22:04.850 --> 00:22:08.149
do this today this gene has also been
00:22:08.150 --> 00:22:11.839
thousands of genetically altered
organisms are being developed
00:22:11.840 --> 00:22:16.039
yet no one knows how they will
affect farmers the food supply and
00:22:16.040 --> 00:22:24.040
the environment we are totally ignoring the
natural order of things And we are continuing
00:22:25.420 --> 00:22:33.420
this business that we can run over nature
dominated and control it for our own use and
00:22:33.580 --> 00:22:35.859
the benefits will accrue to
00:22:35.860 --> 00:22:43.070
very few people but the problems
will accrue to society and total.
00:22:46.020 --> 00:22:51.309
It implies a major threat to
the survival of biodiversity.
00:22:51.310 --> 00:22:54.489
Once it\'s out there in the real
world there is no way to contain
00:22:54.490 --> 00:22:58.284
it so you have to know it safe
before you put it out there
00:22:58.285 --> 00:23:02.019
just because we\'ve discovered we
can do this does that mean we
00:23:02.020 --> 00:23:06.589
should The 20th century
00:23:06.590 --> 00:23:11.329
is any guide we know that the promise
of a new technology can be short-lived.
00:23:11.330 --> 00:23:16.458
While the costs remain with us
genetic engineering is no exception.
00:23:16.459 --> 00:23:21.379
This new technology must be used
wisely and with caution to improve
00:23:21.380 --> 00:23:27.510
the human condition and to repair our fragile
relationship with other life on Earth