-by CATHERINE MORANDI on 3/4/2001,
With the lethal outbreak of BSE (MAD COW DESEASE) in Europe and a few countries in Asia, the demand for vegetables has risen and reshaped the eating habits of most Europeans. With the dramatic drop of red meat demand (and now also pork with the highly infective foot and mouth desease), most restaurants have opted for an entirely elaborate vegetarian menu.
The question is, whether Europe can meet this increasing demand for veggies.
America has suggested adopting bioengeneering to genetically modify the crop to make it more resistant to pesticides that could decimate and destroy it.
Not many are aware of this, but the corn, so popular and in demand in the USA now contains a gene that gives it the ability to repel insects. The gene was transplanted from a bacterium.
But what could be the consequence of all this genetic tampering?
After all, most of the disasters, ecological and many illnesses (including the now dreaded BSE) are product of man's presumption that he can control nature, cheat death and the natural course of life, prevail over a specie, subjugate it and manipulate it for his own benefit.
Sometimes, this proves to be autodestructive.
Just like a virus attacks a cell to reproduce, eventually causing the death of the entire organisim, are the greedy and manipulative maneuvers of man's attitude towards the world he lives in.
Americans have suggested genetically modified crop in Europe, but it just doesn't seem to sink in their mentality and still prefer organically grown greens.
As a matter of fact, a few considerations arise regarding genetically modified crop:
For instance, someone is allergic to potatoes, the gene of which, transplanted in corn to enhance its resistance, could cause the death and allergy to the subject who is oblivious that the cereals he is happily chomping away in the morning actually contain potato cell. Product labels do not carry writings such as bioengeneered crop or "mutant corn-potato".
Population growth and high demand of certain products cannot justify greedy institutions to tamper with nature just to be able to feed any specie for the benefit of hoardes of consumistic and greedy masses.
The very reason for which we try to impove our lives will cause our death.
