Defence by D and PL/Monsanto

As a defense to the criticism against terminator technology, Harry B. Collins of D and PL argued that the farmers will still have the option to use the traditional varieties, having no protection system, and that the new technology will encourage plant breeders to invest and develop new varieties of crops.

D and PL also claimed that the technology will help the food security system in the following ways.

First" the new technology will stimulate investment and interest by breeders for development of new varieties of self-pollinated crops for which hybrids are not feasible (e.g. wheat, rice barley, beans, etc.);

At least the following two arguments of these NGOs seem to be valid. First, when a farmer grows a traditional variety, next to a sterile seeds variety, the pollen from the latter may reach the former, thus producing seeds,

whose germination on plantation may be greatly reduced, thus harming such poor farmers; and. second, the role of farmers in. generating and nurturing biodiversity in the field will be greatly reduced through the use of terminator technology.