Patented ‘babe,’ anyone?

Environmental activist Greenpeace is urging the government to ban any form of patent on plants and other life forms such as pigs.

Greenpeace researchers uncovered recently Monsanto Corp.’s application for pig patent before the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva, which stakes a claim on pig rights in more than 160 countries, including the Philippines.

"Monsanto’s move to patent the pig clearly shows the extent to which this company is prepared to endanger the livelihood of farmers around the world for their own gain," said Danny Ocampo, Greenpeace Southeast Asia genetic engineering campaigner.

Monsanto has claimed, in the past, patent rights over corn, soy, papaya, and wheat. The company already started planting of its patented genetically-modified Bt Corn 1 in certain provinces in the country.

According to Ocampo, if the latest patent application of Monsanto is approved by the government, the new burden to Filipino farmers would be the "Monsanto pig" because it would give Monsanto the authority to prevent breeders and farmers from breeding pigs with certain characteristics or methods of breeding, or force them to pay royalties.

Ocampo said the pig patent application of Monsanto covers methods of conventional breeding and also the screening for naturally occurring genetic conditions that can make pigs grow faster.

Ocampo explained that although the pig patent was filed by Monsanto before WIPO, its approval would still depend on the action of the government or country included in the patent application.

"In short, the patents would give the company, which has in fact invented nothing new, world-wide control over breeding of pigs and their offspring," he said.

Monsanto has been pushing genetically-modified crops like soy and maize or corn.

Greenpeace has accused Monsanto of abusing patent law, bio-piracy, animal patents and seed monopolies, which threaten biodiversity, endanger world food security and spoil livelihoods of the farmer.

"Being the gateway of genetically-modified organisms in Asia, the Philippines plays a very crucial part for Monsanto. But the government should come up with a national legislation to ban the patent on any life form and plant because it would adversely affect our farmers and would pave the way for the eventual total control of the company on our food supply," Ocampo noted.

Ocampo said that Filipinos basically prefer eating pork more than chicken or beef. Citing statistics from the Department of Agriculture, Ocampo said that pork posted 13.67 kilograms per capita in 2004; chicken, 8.20 kilograms per capita; and beef, 3.83 kilograms per capita last year.