Concerned by the collapse of populations of pollinating insects, a hundred scientists issued a warning on Friday against the future use of “genetic biotechnologies” in agriculture.
Gathered during a press briefing on the occasion of the COP15 on biodiversity in Montreal, their representatives asked the international community to oppose the deployment in nature of this new generation of products to fight against insect pests. .
Two types of “genetic biotechnologies” are in the crosshairs of these experts: “RNA interference pesticides” and genetically modified insects resulting from “gene drives”.
“With great powers come great responsibilities,” said Dana Perls of Friends of the Earth’s US branch.
As more and more powerful biotechnologies are created, we have a growing responsibility to ask the right questions about whether or not something can be released into the environment.
Dana Perls, US branch of Friends of the Earth
Mme Perls is particularly concerned about so-called “gene silencing” pesticides that use the cellular process of messenger RNA to dampen the expression of certain genes of insects that attack crops. She gives the example of a product sprayed on plants which, once ingested by the insect, silences a gene essential to its survival and therefore causes its death.
At this time, such products are not marketed in Canada. An RNA interference “spray” product is, however, under consideration for experimental use by the US environmental agency, the EPA. Several patent applications have also been filed.
“When you’ve never heard of it, it’s hard to believe it exists, but there are a lot of scientific studies that show us it’s happening. [dans le domaine de la recherche] “, explains Vanessa Mermet, of the French NGO Pollinis and organizer of the press briefing. “It really acts like pesticides, but it acts on the genetic side and not on the chemical expression like synthetic chemical pesticides did before. »
In decline
Pollinating insects are an important link in the food chain. They are in decline all over the world. Several factors are singled out, such as climate change, industrial agriculture and the use of pesticides.
What we have started to look at, of course, is: can these new agricultural applications have an impact on the biodiversity that is present in the fields, including pollinators, as was the case for pesticides before? In fact, that is the case and that is what is problematic.
Vanessa Mermet, from the French NGO Pollinis
Scientists are calling on the international community to apply the UN’s precautionary principle before moving this new generation of crop pest control products from the lab to the field.
“The scientific community is alarmed by these developments because it is not a response to the difficulties of the pollinators on whom we depend to produce our food,” explained Ricarda Steinbrecher, from the Federation of German Scientists.
“If we put our money on these technologies, it means that we are going to alienate nature more than reverse the trend and make things better. It is also a false belief because many of them will not work,” she added.
With the collaboration of Jean-Thomas Léveillé, The Press
Guilbeault reacts to the presence of the CropLife lobby
PHOTO PAUL CHIASSON, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Environmental activists staged a bang to denounce the presence of the CropLife lobby on Thursday at the Palais des Congrès.
The presence of CropLife — a powerful lobby representing the pesticide industry — at COP15 is disturbing environmental groups. While the 196 member countries of the Convention on Biological Diversity are debating a proposal to reduce the use of pesticides on the planet by two thirds, environmentalists staged a coup on Thursday to express their concern. Called to react, the federal Minister of the Environment, Steven Guilbeault, replied that in a democracy, “everyone has the right to participate. “In our democracies, these lobbies exist and […] they have the right to make their voices heard. What is important is not that they are here and then they do not agree, it is: what do we do as a government? What are the commitments we make? On the issue of pesticides, you have seen that our government has undertaken to take a certain number of actions, regardless of what the lobbies say. »