From: Phil deHaan (dehp@calvin.edu)
Date: Mon Mar 31 2003 - 14:00:25 EST
March 31, 2003 == MEDIA ADVISORY
Food is in the news again. In recent weeks it has been a hot topic locally,
as the state of Michigan tests in Grand Rapids a new effort to get consumers to
buy Michigan vegetables, fruits and more (called "Select a Taste of Michigan").
Food also has made national and international headlines as increased pressure
is put on the Bush administration to challenge the European Union's moratorium
on new genetically modified products.
Calvin College biotechnology professor David Koetje says food will continue to
be a controversial topic on both a local and regional level and a national and
international level. And, he says, the sooner people start looking at the
issues from not just a scientific perspective, but also a philosophical and
ethical viewpoint the better the dialogue will become.
"The situation in Europe is delicate," he says. "Europeans especially value
their cultural histories and cuisine is a big part of that. Europeans tend to
be much more influenced by romanticism. There are good and bad things about
that. They seem to have stronger ties to their communities, but with that
comes some protectionism. Change comes more slowly there than here."
Locally the same sorts of philosophical issues apply says Koetje.
"Agriculture is a fundamental basis for any civilization," he says.
"Unfortunately, we have lost sight of this fundamental basis for our own
society. Most people get their food from the grocery store rather than
directly from the farm. So it is easy for us to fail to appreciate the
importance of good farmland and a strong agricultural community for the well
being of our society as a whole. The new (Select a Taste of Michigan) campaign
appeals to that sense of interconnection and so it's as much a philosophical or
worldview type of approach as it is scientific and political."
Koetje adds: "The reality is the future of Michigan's second-largest industry
is at stake here. There is much more we must do to protect farmland and the
livelihood of Michigan farmers. Buying their products is a good start. But
out political and scientific agendas also have to conform to the needs of our
rural communities, communities which are the ecological foundations of our
great cities."
In light of the interconnectedness of Michigan agriculture, Calvin will host a
conference in late April, bringing together scientists, policy advisors,
ethicists and laypeople for conversations on such things as the benefits and
risks of genetically modified foods, the role of biotechnology in corporate and
organic farming and the future of poor subsistence farmers. "Agricultural
Biotechnology and Sustainability: Food For Thought" will be held April 25-26 at
Calvin's Prince Conference Center.
Says Koetje: "While we make no pretense that our conference will have any
effect on the (U.S. vs. European Union) dispute over genetically modified
foods, we do sincerely believe that the approach we are trying to model at our
conference gets closer to the heart of the issue: how fundamental values and
worldviews influence the way we think about genetically modified foods and
sustainable agriculture. Although agbiotech and organic farming seem to be
headed in opposite directions now, we think that they can be compatible if care
is taken to better articulate and commit to a common set of fundamental
assumptions and goals."
Koetje says that "Europeans will rightly resist the current one-size-fits-all
approach of current biotech crops."
He notes that herbicide resistant crops might be appropriate for no-till
agriculture in large North American fields that are prone to soil erosion, but
that does not mean they should be deployed globally or used here
indiscriminately. Likewise, Bt crops modified for enhanced insect resistance
must be used with great caution or they will lose their effectiveness.
House speaker Dennis Hastert says foreign barriers to genetically modified
farm products are trade barriers "because we (American farmers) are
technologically superior." The EU argues that it is working to lift the
moratorium, but not until rules are in place that would label biotech products
for consumers and facilitate tracing their journey from farm to table.
A recent Reuters report said that more than 70 percent of U.S. soybeans and a
third of the U.S. corn crop come from biotech seeds. Plans are also underway by
Monsanto to introduce herbicide-tolerant wheat that could be useful for
reducing soil erosion via no-till agriculture. USDA and FDA approval is
pending.
Contact David Koetje (COO CHEE) at 616 526-7047 or dkoetje@calvin.edu
For details on the agbiotech conference see www.calvin.edu/agbiotech
-end-
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