A new genetic technology patented in the US that prevents germination of seeds saved from harvest, may pose serious problems for farmers. The new "Terminator" technology is potentially "lethal" and a global threat to farmers, biodiversity and food security. If commercially viable, the technology developed by the US Department of Agriculture may jeopardise the food security of 1.4 billion people in developing countries who depend on farm-saved seed. The patent is broad, applying to plants and seeds of all species, including genetically engineered and conventionally bred cotton. The seed-sterilising technology threatens to eliminate the age-old right of farmers to save seed from their harvest and will be targeted primarily against developing countries. If the terminator technology is widely used, it will give the multi-national seed and agrochemical industry an "unprotected and extremely dangerous" capacity to control the world's food security especially wheat and rice.
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