May 25, 2004
It's a Scrum!... Let's take five with Moira Gunn. This is "Five Minutes."
Ever heard the word "scrum?" That's S-C-R-U-M ... scrum. It's a rugby term. The official definition describes how forwards from each team crouch together, lock arms and then go after the football when an official places it before them. If you've ever witnessed a scrum, you know this definition doesn't begin to do it justice. For one thing, they go after the ball with a fury.
Powerful players from both sides abruptly mass together, heads down, pushing and grunting until someone somehow comes up with the football. Even the novice observer can't help but be impressed.
There's no doubt these players are tough. They have strength and endurance, agility and determination. And amidst all the running and the shouting and the tackling, they appear to suddenly sprint down the field to start up another scrum. For all the apparent violence of American football, there's no relaxed and orderly moving of the chains here. Nope. They're at it and at it and at it. Bruised, battered, mud-streaked, and in it 'til the end.
No wonder the word "scrum" leapt to mind when I read the surprising news that for the first time in six contentious years, the EU had approved the import of genetically-modified corn.
--
While many reports refer to it as "tinned maize," it pretty much breaks down to the same thing. It's grown from "Bt-11", the GM seed marketed by the Swiss agrochemicals firm Syngenta, and we know it as sweet corn. And given the strict new EU labeling rules, you can bet these cans will be visibly marked.
European public opinion continues to run 70% against GM foods, so to get a step on the hostile reaction anticipated throughout Europe, EU Consumer Protection Commissioner David Byrne has assured the public that "GM sweet corn has been subjected to the most rigorous pre-marketing assessment in the world." In case you're wondering, that would be us. That's right, the American public. We eat it all the time, and we don't even know it. Actually, if we are to believe Mr. Byrne, we haven't been eating it so much as rigorously pre-market assessing it for the Europeans.
And since our grocery stores have now been re-framed as pre-market assessment supply stations, I guess I can tell you the European joke which asks: What do you call an American supermarket without genetically-modified foods? The answer? Empty!
--
Of course, this decision wasn't made by popular vote. Like any representative body, the EU member states each have a vote, and they've been deadlocked for months. Crouched and locking arms on one side were the so-called "GM-skeptic states:" Austria, Denmark, France, Greece, Luxembourg and Portugal. In the other-color jerseys and all for the GM corn were Finland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom. That's six to six, which is a tie in any game, and it was created by three countries - Belgium, Germany and Spain - strategically deciding to abstain.
Sometimes a tie will table an issue forever, but in a scrum, somebody must eventually come up with the football. When there continued to be no movement, the EU rules sent the decision up to the Executive Commission, and then the players - and the politics - changed.
And note: The players here will continue to change. The EU is today growing from 15 to 25 member states, so its political and economic agendas will necessarily change as well.
So to the newcomers I say: Welcome! I hope you're up from a good scrum!
I'm Moira Gunn. This is Five Minutes.
Back to Five Minutes List
