It is PR. It is PR and it is probable. Millions of lives would be saved if they were to eat golden rice instead of white rice. This is not mere speculation. This is fact.
No, that actually IS speculation, and the data that suggests as much is far from conclusive.
It's not a question of whether or not GMOs can be made to be more nutritious or easier to grow than their natural counterparts. Obviously they can; they're DESIGNED to be.
The question is whether or not the widespread use of GMO foods IN AND OF THEMSELVES is the answer to world hunger, and whether or not that specific benefit of their cultivation outweighs the pitfalls inherent in the
commercialization of a synthetic species.
Golden Rice is actually a really good example in that ONE of the PARTIAL owners of the patent -- Syngenta -- has
explicitly chosen not to commercialize the strain and is using its stake the strain for humanitarian purposes. Monsanto -- who contrary to your claim ALSO own part of the patent -- has made no such commitment other than simply refraining from interfering with Syngenta's humanitarian work. Both of those decisions are apparently based on the fact that neither company believes there is a market for golden rice in the developed world and therefore have nothing much to gain by commercialization.
Do you suppose that will always be true?
And nobody would be charged royalties
Half true. In this specific instance, farmers making less than $10,000 in profit would not be charged royalties. Provided, of course, that they abide by the terms of the license agreement, which includes restrictions on price controls, distributions, cross-breeding, and strictly specifies that the seeds can only be used on a
purely humanitarian basis. In details the humanitarian effort, while admirable, is mired in the complex legalease of patent litigation as the various patent owners have ALL gone out of their way to insure the control of their investment even in this venture.
And then, there's the rub: humanitarian intent notwithstanding, what do you suppose would happen if it came to light that a large group of farmers were growing golden rice without having obtained a free license from Syngenta? What, for that matter, would happen if it came to light that some of the farmers who obtained licenses were caught selling the grain across the border to neighboring countries whose governments hadn't approved the GMO deal?
Golden rice would be provided freely. But Golden Rice is opposed by the same people who oppose Monsanto..
Probably because Monsanto was
one of the original distributors.
Also, the lack of proliferation of Golden Rice has less to do with political/activist opposition (of which there is very little in the developing world) and a lot more to do with local governments not really being equipped to deal with the patent situation. One of the key rules of their licensing guidelines is that the farmers can only obtain those licenses IF they have the support of their governments on a national level through an act of the legislature. Several countries have declined to take them up on this offer specifically because of fears of a huge amount of liability their agricultural sectors would be exposed to if the patent owners suddenly changed their minds and decided to charge royalties.
This is an extremely valid fear, since the license agreement itself CLEARLY allows for that. Golden rice is being licensed as a loan, NOT a gift.
Developing countries are balking primarily over the question "How do we you won't change your mind and start charging us?"
To which the inventors' answer is, essentially "Well gee, if we did that, you'd probably sue us!
"
Vaccines were developed by the first world...
And were freely distributed for the good of the public health. They were NOT patented, commercialized, or distributed to health clinics under extremely tight license agreements that left open the possibility of legal action for unauthorized use.
In other words, they were GIVEN to people, because they were needed. Not licensed, not loaned.
Let me know when Syngenta starts distributing sacks of golden rice to third world, free of charge, no strings attached. I'm sure it'll be any minute now.
You should be ashamed of yourself...
Bullshit plus half truth plus personal attacks... and you call ME irrational?
If the developing world has learned ANYTHING from the past sixty years: never trust a humanitarian who comes to visit you with his lawyer.