O.G.M: Il Sole 24ORE repartee - El Tamiso

On 27/10/2013, Il Sole 24ORE published an article by Gilberto Corbellini entitled “Non-GMO Expo, serious mistake” (click here to read the article).

We propose to follow the response of the President of the “El Tamiso” Cooperative.

Non-GMO Expo, a serious mistake, but by Gilberto Corbellini

Only a few days ago I was informed of the article by this Gilberto Corbellini, on the subject of GMOs and his judgments on Vandana Shiva. Just in the days when it is confirmed that the GMO contamination around the fields of Fidenato and Dalla Libera, near Pordenone, exceeds 10%, data from the State Forestry Corps.

Well, if these two “heroes” of the Libertarian Movement - editor's note whose lawyers are not sure who they are being paid by - stubbornly wanted to allow the collection of scientific data useful to understand the environmental impact and the advantages of GMOs in agriculture, well they succeeded, all right!! Moreover, operating in contempt of the Interministerial Decree of last July, which prohibits the cultivation of that variety of Monsanto corn in Italy, invoking the so-called “safeguard clause”, as required by the European Union, and as countries less suspicious than ours have done for some time (Austria, Germany, Hungary, France, etc. etc.), a decree supported unanimously by the opinions of the political forces present in Parliament; and forgetting that Italians don't want GMOs at all!

It would be interesting to debate the points raised by Mr. Corbellini, except that his theses denote an abysmal ignorance on the subject — in itself unforgivable for a journalist — unless his theses, his opinions and his crass accusations against Vandana Shiva, have quite other interests to protect.

It would be enough for him to even read the report broadcast on RAI 3, on Report of last November 10 (a broadcast that he knows he is not afraid of denials) to understand that the issue of transgenics is instrumental to the real objective of multinational agri-food companies (and related chemistry, which are then the same), that is, the patenting and the worldwide control of seeds. And he would certainly learn (...) that we are in the presence of a dramatic situation in which the genetic food heritage of the entire planet is progressively disappearing, patenting it as is and/or with a simple genetic modification. At this rate, peoples' Food Sovereignty becomes control and royalty over seeds by 3-4 economic groups, which can legally prevent farmers from reseeding their harvest. If you only think that Monsanto started its business producing the “orange agent”, the defoliant dramatically used in Vietnam by the Americans, and then converted, after the war, its production for agriculture, you can understand what culture we are dealing with.

But do you know why Indian farmers commit suicide? Because their dignity is being taken away, with the blows of a 'free market', not for anything else. Does the name Bophal mean anything to you - 1984?

So, please, let's stop telling lies: that the planet needs to increase agricultural production (everyone knows that a problem of access to food, certainly not a theoretical quantity, otherwise we would not understand the incentives for destruction or the destination for energy uses of food production), and let's not mention Nazareno Strampelli, whose goal was to develop the genetics of cereals, through crossbreeding and hybridization, in order to adapt them to different Italian climates (we were in an autarchic regime then), certainly not to patent them for speculate on it; then, organic and minimalist practices... but do you know that we are talking about the only agri-food sector that grows at double digits in Italy, the first European producer with Spain? And do you know that it is incompatible, by law, with GMOs?

Colverdi, and on its objective contradictions, will certainly be able to defend itself.

It is enough for me to hope that EXPO 2015 will truly mark a decisive step for the economic and social future of our country (you know, Corbellini, I have three children and two grandchildren and I care about it, I don't know her), which is not an impossible relaunch of the model of the past, but culture, landscape and agri-food; where our country does not have to give up its Food Sovereignty to others, but precisely Petrini, Farinetti, and not alone, have defined it several times precisely.

The Americans: but do you know how many typical cheeses they have in the United States? Two! In Italy, more than 400 have been registered.

But do you think we should worry about American GMOs? Country where, incidentally, the maximum limit of Aflatoxins in their corn is 5 times higher than that imposed on us Italians. And coincidentally, only a few years ago, and coincidentally, today we discover that the solution is GMO.

The United States is already an abundant military presence in Italy, even if they miss the EXPO, we'll get over it.

Franco Zecchinato — franco@eltamiso.it