ABSTRACT
WERVEL is a Flemish working group which tries to be a point of reference in the discussion between farmers, consumers, Third World movements, peace and environmental movements. On each issue, the authors try to link the interests of all these parties. This is also the case for the topic of genetic engineering and patents. Universities and public research institutes will be obliged to keep secret their research results, funded by the private sector, while the corporations apply for their patents. The chapter discusses various reasons against the patenting of living beings. The first reason has to do with farmers. European farmers will be obliged to pay royalties on every generation of plants and livestock they buy and reproduce for production purposes. The food supply in Europe will be threatened by monopoly control over genetic resources, farmers' harvests and the processed results.
