Charles' remarks on GM food spark row

By Thomas Abraham

LONDON, MAY 18. Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, has delivered a stinging criticism of genetically modified foods, saying he was unhappy with the way science was being used to alter nature.

In this year's Reith Lectures broadcast on BBC Radio on Wednesday, the Prince departed from the discrete silence the British monarchy traditionally maintains over controversial public issues and plunged into a major political debate. Prince Charles is an organic farmer and has long let it be known that he was unhappy with the way science was being used to manipulate the genes of plants and animals. In his lecture, he called on human beings to ``show greater respect for the genius of nature's designs,'' and ``not to change what nature is, as we do when genetic manipulation seeks to transform the process of biological evolution.''

The Prince's remarks over the acceptability of genetically modified foods have been welcomed by environmental groups but sparked criticism from scientists who feel that his views were against science as a whole. Prince Charles made it clear in his lecture that he believed that man should accept ``the guiding hand'' of a supreme creator. He said it was ``because of this inability to accept the existence of a guiding hand that nature has come to be regarded as a system that can be engineered for our own convenience.'' He said it was important to ``rediscover a reverence for the natural world, irrespective of its usefulness to ourselves.''

The Prince's view of the world would be considered fairly normal in India, but in the West where scientific rationality and the needs of the market are supreme, they are seen as extremely controversial. Mr. Charles Secrett, director of the environmental group Friends of the Earth, said the Prince's remarks would be a ``wake up call to politicians and business leaders'', while the head of Greenpeace, Lord Melchett, said his remarks were ``long overdue.''

But others were critical of the Prince of Wales' foray into the area of public policy. ``Man should consider man foremost,'' said Mr. Julian Morris of the Institute of Economic Affairs, a think- tank. ``Does Prince Charles think we should go back to the point where we are at the whim of nature?'' He added that Prince Charles was `` attacking everythng that has been done by mankind over the last 100,000 years.''

Prince Charles has often been described by his detractors as being a wooly-headed mystic and his remarks are likely to confirm their opinion. But the increasingly vocal opposition to genetically modified foods will be boosted by his speech. His remarks, however, also put him on a collision course with the Government which is sympathetic to allowing genetically modified foods but has been forced by public opinion to go slow.

At present, only a small number of items of genetically modified foods such as tomato paste made from genetically altered tomatoes are sold in British supermarkets. Public anxieties have forced several supermarket chains to announce that they would not stock genetically modified products. Genetically modified crops are being grown on a trial basis in Britain but following public protests have not been planted commercially.

In his lecture, Prince Charles said mankind needed to ``live up to the sacred trust that has been placed in us by our creator,'' and warned that ``if literally nothing is held sacred any more, what is there to prevent us treating our entire world as some great laboratory of life with potentially disastrous long-term consequences?''

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