Scientists have warned that a court decision to block the growing of the genetically modified (GM) crop Golden Rice in the Philippines could have catastrophic consequences. Tens of thousands of children could die in the wake of the ruling, they argue.
The Philippines had become the first country – in 2021 – to approve the commercial cultivation of Golden Rice, which was developed to combat vitamin A deficiency, a major cause of disability and death among children in many parts of the world.
But campaigns by Greenpeace and local farmers last month persuaded the country’s court of appeal to overturn that approval and to revoke this. The groups had argued that Golden Rice had not been shown to be safe and the claim was backed by the court, a decision that was hailed as “a monumental win” by Greenpeace.
Many scientists, however, say there is no evidence that Golden Rice is in any way dangerous. More to the point, they argue that it is a lifesaver.
Yes that sounds very similar! Are sheep a relatively recent import into Wales and Scotland?
Not really, sheep were also imported by the Romans. There were a couple of recent developments which made things much worse though. The first was the Highland Clearances of 18th and 19th centuries, where native Scots were driven off their lands to make way for more profitable and intensive sheep farming, which could involve clear-cutting entire hillsides for sheep to graze. The sheep then kill almost every plant by grazing, leaving only heather and a few types of grasses. Eventually, most of the grasses are killed too apart from those that the sheep don’t eat, as they out-compete the grass that sheep like. If there were mixed flocks which eat all grass types equally, or less intensive shepherding (both of which were more traditional methods), then the land could recover.
The second development was a post-WW2 policy which encouraged more farming. I think it might be the Agricultural Act 1947 but I’m not sure. Anyway, this policy paid farmers for the animals that they reared, and sheep were the most profitable. So, of course, many people reared sheep which just doubled down on the damage already caused.
In Wales, sheep farming is a very traditional job / way of life, and I feel like it’s very difficult for Welsh people to see and understand the damage caused by sheep. I know several a lot of farmers and shepherds who are in it just because they like sheep, rather than because it’s the most profitable career. Thankfully, the government is putting in place certain measures to try to protect and re-introduce wild spaces on farms. Most of the Welsh countryside tends to be just fields of grass, either growing hay or with sheep grazing.
In Scotland, the damage is much more obvious once you know what you’re looking for. In the Highlands especially, the land is either desolate heaths of grass and heather or mono-culture pine timber forests. It can be very pretty, especially when the heather is in flower and entire hillsides are just covered in purple. As I’ve learned more, it is just getting depressing because there is no nature left, just the ruins of what humans have done. But again, there are a lot of people trying to restore what is lost. I don’t know much about Scottish government initiatives, but there are a lot of private people and groups who are trying to put it right.