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Uk wildlife must not be patented for profit
23 March 2004
Patenting the genetic make-up of England's wildlife could lead to companies commercialising genes without any benefit for the British public or the environment and should be resisted by the Government, according to Friends of the Earth.
The warning comes as England's official wildlife watchdog, English Nature is said to be "on the verge of striking a deal to bio-prospect some of Britain's most famous Nature reserves" [1] despite no legal or ethical framework being in place to ensure any genetic exploitation benefits the British people.
Friends of the Earth has written to the Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett calling on the Government to resist moves to allow companies to profit from genetically patenting wildlife and urgently address ethical and practical questions, including whether the public, Government or opportunistic companies own the genetic rights to England's wildlife.
Friends of the Earth's Executive director, Tony Juniper, said:
"A worldwide gene rush is underway with companies staking claims on life forms from across the planet. Their aim is to boost profits from medical, agricultural and industrial products. Companies are taking traditional knowledge about the useful aspects of plants, or information established by science at public expense, patenting the life forms and then selling products back to the public, who arguably owned the wildlife in the first place. Official conservation agencies must approach this issue with caution. Helping companies get richer in this way is not necessarily good for society, and has no automatic benefits for the environment".
Note
1. Today (Tuesday 22 March): www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Jun 2008
