Blinded by ideology: Philippine court ban on golden rice will have devasting impacts

Imagine growing up in a country where you rely mainly on rice for sustenance. Imagine facing the threat of blindness, and potentially death, because your diet does not provide essential nutrients like Vitamin A. Now imagine that a solution exists in the form of an enhanced variety of rice, but you’ve had to watch it ripped from the fields by zealots, never reaching your table. This is exactly the scenario that has been unfolding over the last 20 years in the developing world, culminating in a recent disastrous court ruling in the Philippines.

The Court of Appeals in the Philippines revoked the permit for the cultivation of vitamin A-enriched Golden Rice, a decision that will have tragic impacts on children in developing countries worldwide. Many children in these countries don’t have access to foods rich in vitamin A, meaning they can develop a deficiency that often results in blindness, malnutrition, and even death. The World Health Organization estimates that between 250,000 and 500,000 children go blind each year, and half die within 12 months of losing their vision.

The solution to this preventable crisis, Golden Rice, has existed for over 20 years but has yet to reach the population that desperately needs it. The Philippines was painfully close to bringing this innovation to its people only to be stopped at the eleventh hour by activist ideology.

It all started back in 1999 when several European scientists developed Golden Rice by inserting genes for beta-carotene, a chemical the body uses to make vitamin A, into the DNA of regular rice. The scientists even agreed to make this technology free for farmers in developing countries.

Rice is relatively low in nutritional value but is a staple food for billions in developing countries. Just one cup of cooked golden rice can provide 30-50% of the estimated average daily vitamin A requirement for children. Regulators across the world, including in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, have all found golden rice to be just as safe as any non-enhanced varieties. Golden Rice passed a rigorous biosafety assessment in 2019 in the Philippines.

This is where the story should have a happy ending. If there was ever an example of a clear-cut benefit of genetic modification in crops, this is it. Instead, it’s been a battle cry for NGOs like Greenpeace who have railed against Golden Rice, and it has never made it onto the plates of those who so desperately need it.

This is a reprehensible form of activism. While we can debate whether various agricultural innovations have lived up to their promise, there is no debate to be had about the life-changing benefits of Golden Rice. Misguided ideology is blocking progress, and NGOs need to be held accountable for the harm they are causing. Standing in the way of safe and effective solutions for the world’s poorest, like Golden Rice, is criminal.

While the story of Golden Rice seems a world away, activist groups are using the same fear mongering and disinformation techniques to stand in the way of much-needed agricultural innovations here in Canada. Activists claim to have people’s best interests in mind despite their sole focus on limiting innovation rather than finding solutions. Their strategy is to slowly move the goalposts for what is allowed until innovation is stopped.

We must remain vigilant in combatting groups who blindly oppose agricultural innovation based on ideology. If left unchecked, the outcome will be devastating for humanity as illustrated in the most painful way by the continued suffering of children around the world from preventable blindness. Congratulations Greenpeace, another 250,000 poor children will be added to the list of those needlessly suffering in 2024. I hope you’re proud of this achievement.

Pierre Petelle
President and CEO, CropLife Canada

Photo credit: International Rice Research Institute