Bio-serfdom and the new feudalism.

In the latest European attack on the use of biotechnology in agriculture, 120 French farmers broke into a storage facility of the agribusiness multinational Novartis and destroyed 30 tons of transgenic corn seed. The attack - following the French government's much protested decision earlier this year to allow farmers to plant genetically modified corn - found popular support throughout France and much of Europe, where there is widespread resistance to the use of genetic engineering in food.

Unlike their counterparts in the United States, Europeans have demonstrated strong skepticism of the biotechnology industry's claims that there are no adverse health effects associated with consuming bioengineered food. Europeans are also wary of the unintentional - and deleterious - introduction of genes or substances into the environment.

The strongest cry against biotechnology in European agriculture has come from farmers who associate bioengineered seeds with a shift of power from farmers to agribusiness corporations. The Confederation Paysanne, an organization composed of small farmers throughout Europe, called the French decision "a grave error, a giant step toward more and more dangerous agriculture at the whims of the large agrochemical groups."

Genetically modified seed varieties often carry traits which necessitate the use of one or more agrochemicals. In this way, an agribusiness company - often producer of both seed and agrochemicals - can integrate the sale of several of its products and command substantial control over the farming process. In addition to the seed, the farmer must purchase the fertilizer, pesticide, herbicide and other inputs, without which the seed does not function optimally.

Moreover, seed companies often require farmers to sign a licensing agreement which essentially eliminates the age-old role of farmers as breeders and managers of genetic resources. A typical licensing agreement forbids, among other things, exchanging seed with another farmer, using seed for further breeding and saving the best seed from the harvest for future planting - the traditional practice known as seed saving. The Rural Advancement Foundation International, based jointly in Canada and the United States, notes that under these circumstances, farmers are reduced to "bioserfs" - "renters of proprietary germplasm" who provide little more than land and labor to corporate agribusiness.

As the first European nation to allow planting of genetically modified seeds, France has drawn sharp criticism from its neighbors. As the top agricultural producer in Europe, France exercises substantial control over the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union, which will soon bind all member states.

Nonetheless, the decision will likely ease tensions at World Trade Organization meetings where the United States has been pressuring European nations, especially France, to allow planting of genetically modified seed. Genetically modified soybeans and cotton were introduced on U.S. soil several years ago and are occupying a growing share each year - and modified corn will be introduced this spring. Also welcoming the French decision were U.S. biotechnology companies, for whom agriculture in Europe offers the potential for hundreds of millions of dollars in future profits - assuming they can overcome regulatory hurdles and public resistance. For more information, contact the Rural Advancement Foundation International, http://www.rafi.ca.