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| fot. kstiffler/sxc.hu |
Crowds on the Polish streets and the attacks of Anonymous were the reason for the Polish government to find a scapegoat who will be responsible for the actions which took effect in signing an unfortunate agreement.
However, it seems to be a gimmicky activity which aims to save the government and the Prime Minister’s reputation after ACTA has been already signed.
In spite of the fact that ACTA was broadly discussed much earlier, the Polish government was withholding the moment of drawing up the agreement till the last minute. Even though the internauts’ reaction was more than unexpected, the government did nothing to speak with the basic segment of this treaty – the Internet users.
Nevertheless, we need to take a wider look on the ACTA agreement. As we already know, it was elaborated in secret in participation of the big concerns which will probably earn the most on it.
We need to note that it doesn’t mean that only phonographic and movie companies will have the biggest benefits. It actually turns out that this treaty can have something in common with...GMO.
Three words about GMO
Let’s start with a definition of GMO - the Genetically Modified Organisms are living organisms whose genetic material was modified by genetic engineering methods. We can have modified bacteria or plants. Today, when we speak about the GMO we rather think about artificially altered plants whose genetic code is protected by the patent rights belonging to some big biotechnological concerns.
The GMO issue is very controversial. Its followers claim that it gives bigger crops and the plants remain fresh for a long time. Its opponents say that the influence on human body and local ecosystems wasn’t precisely investigated (it is connected with the process of absorption by the genetically modified plants).
What thing can link ACTA and GMO?
People interested in GMO know that the GMO seeds are sold and cropped on license of rights – it means that every farmer must pay a relevant amount of money to the company which created a particular type of tillage. This obvious thing can be although very confusing.
Let’s take the Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser as an example. He was accused by the biotechnological concern Mosanto of illegal cropping of genetically modified colza. Schmeiser stated that the GMO appeared on his field by coincidence – it was probably a self-sown plant which came from the neighbor field with genetically modified colza. The judge wasn’t satisfied with those arguments – hence, the farmer was forced to pay the patent fee to Mosanto. Apparently Schmeiser should have done everything in order to avoid self sowing or to weed those GMO plants.
The problem is serious because thanks to ACTA which protects the patent rights and after introducing the GMO tillage the big corporations will be able to sue those people who do not even know that their tillage was pollinated by GMO.
Let us imagine a situation after signing ACTA and introducing the GMO tillage – there’s a farmer in a small village who starts to crop genetically modified plants, buys seeds, pays the patent fees and pollinates his field. After some time the pollen is spread by the wind, bees or other animals which pollinate the crops of another farmer having an ecological tillage on his field. Not only he looses the ecological status of his tillage but also he is subject to a potential visit of a biotechnological concern’s representative wanting him to pay the fee for growing GMO. Even if our farmer doesn’t want to grow the GMO and to make the biotechnological concern’s wallet bigger – he has no choice.
ACTA with its vague content and terms can treat the GMO patens as the same subject of copyrights as the Internet files. What is more, every farmer can be a potential criminal pursued by an international institution called up after the treaty enters into force. Interesting concurrence: an international institution pursuing the violation of copyrights and international corporations being the owner of the license for crops. Coincidence?
On the 8th of February the social consultations will be held in the Presidential Palace. There will be 6 followers of GMO and only 3 of its opponents – the supporters of common sense and healthy food. It is possible that it will cause the same scandal as ACTA. Poland will become a rubbish bin full of genetically modified food whose real usefulness is hard to find by an every-day man. Our shops are full of powder products which increase the financial benefits of producers and businessmen as well as the number of allergies and patients financed by the National Health Fund.
Who will take advantage of the genetically modified food? Would it be a step towards the elimination of the ecological agriculture, the fall of the small and medium enterprises and the disappearance of our precious ecological brand?
Is ACTA really connected with GMO? I encourage the lawyers to analyze this question and the internauts to take a wider look on this problem till it’s too late.
I believe that the Internet society can become a barometer of unconsidered politics where people’s interest is no more a fundamental value.
However, it seems to be a gimmicky activity which aims to save the government and the Prime Minister’s reputation after ACTA has been already signed.
In spite of the fact that ACTA was broadly discussed much earlier, the Polish government was withholding the moment of drawing up the agreement till the last minute. Even though the internauts’ reaction was more than unexpected, the government did nothing to speak with the basic segment of this treaty – the Internet users.
Nevertheless, we need to take a wider look on the ACTA agreement. As we already know, it was elaborated in secret in participation of the big concerns which will probably earn the most on it.
We need to note that it doesn’t mean that only phonographic and movie companies will have the biggest benefits. It actually turns out that this treaty can have something in common with...GMO.
Three words about GMO
Let’s start with a definition of GMO - the Genetically Modified Organisms are living organisms whose genetic material was modified by genetic engineering methods. We can have modified bacteria or plants. Today, when we speak about the GMO we rather think about artificially altered plants whose genetic code is protected by the patent rights belonging to some big biotechnological concerns.
The GMO issue is very controversial. Its followers claim that it gives bigger crops and the plants remain fresh for a long time. Its opponents say that the influence on human body and local ecosystems wasn’t precisely investigated (it is connected with the process of absorption by the genetically modified plants).
What thing can link ACTA and GMO?
People interested in GMO know that the GMO seeds are sold and cropped on license of rights – it means that every farmer must pay a relevant amount of money to the company which created a particular type of tillage. This obvious thing can be although very confusing.
Let’s take the Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser as an example. He was accused by the biotechnological concern Mosanto of illegal cropping of genetically modified colza. Schmeiser stated that the GMO appeared on his field by coincidence – it was probably a self-sown plant which came from the neighbor field with genetically modified colza. The judge wasn’t satisfied with those arguments – hence, the farmer was forced to pay the patent fee to Mosanto. Apparently Schmeiser should have done everything in order to avoid self sowing or to weed those GMO plants.
The problem is serious because thanks to ACTA which protects the patent rights and after introducing the GMO tillage the big corporations will be able to sue those people who do not even know that their tillage was pollinated by GMO.
Let us imagine a situation after signing ACTA and introducing the GMO tillage – there’s a farmer in a small village who starts to crop genetically modified plants, buys seeds, pays the patent fees and pollinates his field. After some time the pollen is spread by the wind, bees or other animals which pollinate the crops of another farmer having an ecological tillage on his field. Not only he looses the ecological status of his tillage but also he is subject to a potential visit of a biotechnological concern’s representative wanting him to pay the fee for growing GMO. Even if our farmer doesn’t want to grow the GMO and to make the biotechnological concern’s wallet bigger – he has no choice.
ACTA with its vague content and terms can treat the GMO patens as the same subject of copyrights as the Internet files. What is more, every farmer can be a potential criminal pursued by an international institution called up after the treaty enters into force. Interesting concurrence: an international institution pursuing the violation of copyrights and international corporations being the owner of the license for crops. Coincidence?
On the 8th of February the social consultations will be held in the Presidential Palace. There will be 6 followers of GMO and only 3 of its opponents – the supporters of common sense and healthy food. It is possible that it will cause the same scandal as ACTA. Poland will become a rubbish bin full of genetically modified food whose real usefulness is hard to find by an every-day man. Our shops are full of powder products which increase the financial benefits of producers and businessmen as well as the number of allergies and patients financed by the National Health Fund.
Who will take advantage of the genetically modified food? Would it be a step towards the elimination of the ecological agriculture, the fall of the small and medium enterprises and the disappearance of our precious ecological brand?
Is ACTA really connected with GMO? I encourage the lawyers to analyze this question and the internauts to take a wider look on this problem till it’s too late.
I believe that the Internet society can become a barometer of unconsidered politics where people’s interest is no more a fundamental value.
