“terminator seeds” controversy ; can it have some good use

Although “terminator seeds” have never been planted anywhere in the world, the myths surrounding GURT have been weaponized by GMO opponents to stop developing countries from researching and cultivating disease-resistant and vitamin-fortified crops, innovations that have nothing to do with GURT. This campaign represents a serious threat to farmers and consumers in India, Africa and southeast Asia, biologist Mary Mangan has explained:

And here’s where the real sadness of the story arc comes in: the lies, distortions, and conflations about this patent have been used to prevent farmers from utilizing tools of modern agriculture that could increase their yields, improve their health by reducing pesticide use and increase food security in their communities …. These applications have nothing to do with GURT, and spreading terminator seed propaganda to keep them off the market would be harmful to local scientists, farmers and consumers.

While critics point to the potential negative impact of this technology on seed-saving farmers, there are benefits that could be gained through the use of this technology. Terminator technology could guarantee that GMO seeds would not spread to neighboring fields, what’s known as cross pollination, often framed as ‘contamination’ by organic farmers and GMO critics. Wrote Heidi Ledford in Nature:

More recently, terminator technology has begun to look more appealing to environmentalists. Organic farmers want ways to keep genetically engineered crops from contaminating their fields, and food-safety groups are concerned about contamination of food crops with products from a new generation of crops engineered to produce chemicals or pharmaceuticals. By ensuring that genetically modified plants survive for only one planting, “that technology would have alleviated a lot of environmental concerns”, says Christopher Holman, an intellectual-property specialist at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law.

There are also potential pharmaceutical uses for the technology, including the development of “bioreactor” plants modified to produce vaccines or to serve as diagnostic tools.  Mark Lynas, a visiting fellow at Cornell University and Lúcia de Souza, plant biologist and vice president of the Brazilian National Association of Biosafety wrote:

A continued ban on GURT may sound sensible and precautionary, but could harm our potential to develop lifesaving vaccines and environmentally beneficial crops. Scientists should be allowed to conduct research, and society can later decide – through open, inclusive and democratic debate – how or if these technologies are later deployed more widely.