Genetically Modified Crops

Cross pollination from GM is unlikely to pose a health risk, what it will do is create a hybrid. That's as welcome as your pedigree pouch mating with the mutt down the road and producing mongrel puppies.

Re organic food; we grow as much of our own vegetables and soft fruit as we can, without the aid if artifical fertilisers or insecticides. I've just spent 15 minutes picking caterpillars off my kale! It's not that it tastes any better neccessarily (though we think it does because it's so fresh) but there's no chemical residue in the food we produce. For example, carrots only need scrubbing, not peeling.

It's not prejudice with me Nightowl, I have worked with both but I prefer to work with the best of both worlds.

The organic movement concerns itself with things such as carbon free. Not using chemicals is only one of its criteria.

Not using chemicals is the most important criterion which, may I respectfully point out, is the singular of the word.

We grow various veg, and don't use pesticides, but buying organic from shops costs more, it's never going to be everyone's choice, and if somehow it was, then not enough of it would be produced to satisfy demand.
People are scared of GM because it is something new, but it could be the answer to world hunger, especially for poor farmers in Third World countries.

At the moment there is a worldwide glut of milk.

Hunger often hasnt got as much to do with the supply of food, but politics and money.

I personally am not scared of GM because it is something new. It isnt new. It has been around for decades.
GM messes around with nature too much.
And I am not keen on those big multi nationals who re trying to control seed.

I agree that organic food wont feed everyone.

"Your post does not make sense, Culag. If you want crops developed that use fewer chemicals, what's wrong with organic? Why is GM needed?"

One of the things GM is doing is trying to increase crop plants' resistance to pests. This, when successful, reduces the need for pesticides and so is closer to organic. Why oppose an improvement?

It does indeed seem ignorant – in the literal meaning of that word: not knowing – to oppose something that is better than 'conventional' farming (the sort that uses a lot of pesticides).

Also, if organic farming isn't going to produce enough to eat for everyone, what use is it? We can't let people starve for want of a bit of scientific innovation.

We have the system we have now thatbags, which includes some organic.

earthopensource.org/gmomythsandtruths/sample-page/5-gm-crops-impacts-farm-environment/210-2/

GM crops do not increase yield.

Bigger, better plants with more resistance to disease ( GM) I can't see much wrrong with that.

Some GM tomato plants now carry a pig gene I believe. It's bad enough losing your tomato crop to tomato blight, but to lose it to swine fever would be even worse

And what about vegetarians? Would they want to eat tomatoes with piggy bits?

No, they wouldn't.
That's why we need strict labelling. However, only one state in the US has said GM should be labelled and that state is being sued, by Syngenta, I think.

I have searched and searched and the only thing I can find about pig genes in vegetables is a mention of it as a myth. See this link there are no commercial biotech products owned or produced by Monsanto that have animal DNA. I’m not sure how this rumor got started but it’s just not true.

But I did find this - skepticalvegan.com/2012/05/02/animal-genes-rothamstead-wheat-trial/ in which it is stated that "the fear of consuming “animal genes” in plants is only theoretical because there are no such products on the market. "

Fish genes were put in tomatoes. It was to make them last longer. It didn't work.
Genes from other plants were put in tomatoes, but the lycopene was reduced by half. Lycopene is one of the good things we need from tomatoes.
That's quite a dramatic difference.

I know at the moment that if I buy Soil Association or Vegetarian Society approved products that they have no GM in them.
Why should I and people like me not have that choice?

Pleased to be wrong then about GM tomatoes, though less reassured to discover it had been attempted!

I think this link gives one of the best unbiased overviews

Choice is the key. In the US there is no obligation to label foods which contain artificially transferred or altered genes. In Europe, such foods are clearly labelled. The proposed legislation to prevent them even being used removes choice from other customers.

No reason why you shouldn't have that choice, dj. Similarly, there is no reason why someone else shouldn't have an equal but different choice. Currently you have a choice. Currently you are in favour of preventing other people from having an equal choice. Choice is about more options, not fewer.

No, we are not in cahoots to gang up on anyone, just had the same thought 4 seconds apart.

No, we are not in cahoots. Just had the same thought 4 seconds apart.

I can only have the choice providing GM foods are labelled.
I am not stopping anyone having GM in their food. I am quite surprised at the amount of power you think I have. In fact, you will be hard put to avoid it if you do not eat organic and vegetarian, as most animal feedstuff comes from GM produced plants in America.
Even if you eat meat from a local butcher and can trace the animal, you will not have traced the animal feed.

This country is too small to have GM and organic food growing side by side.
I ensure that any soya I eat comes from reputable companies that do not use GM. Can't say the same for the cows that you eat.

You are welcome to your share of GM, providing you do not contaminate my organic food.

In the US there are a lot of cases going through courts at the moment because of some states wanting to label GM, and Monsanto and Syngenta not wanting it.
If there is nothing to fear from GM, what's the problem with labelling?
Monsanto are trying to buy out Syngenta at the moment, so soon there will only be one mega GM company, with lots of money to fight organic farmers.

Elegran, have you ever seen any food labelled contains GM ingredients, because I haven't.
I buy foods which say does not contain GM.

"The British Retail Consortium and Food and Drink
Federation issued a joint identity-preservation
standard for sourcing non-GM soya and maize which do
es not support ‘GM(O)-free’ claims, but is a
basis for ‘best practice’ (<0.9%). The British Poultr
y Council (BPC) also inform
ed major retailers of its
position that it would use non-GM
feed in poultry and egg production. This position was not stipulated
on any label, nor advertised to consumers.
UK supermarkets eliminated GM ingredients (as far as
possible) in their own branded products in the
1990s. This included the use of non-GM feed for ani
mals used in meat production. Retailers did not
actively communicate th
is position to customers (although their positions could be found by
searching company websites). Retailers consulted fo
r this study indicated that this approach was
taken to avoid providing consumers with an absol
ute guarantee that prod
ucts are ‘GM(O)-free’.
Supplies of GM(O)-free soya have become harder
to guarantee and the sector has attempted to
retract their non-GM policy with British retailers.
British supermarket chain Asda stated in 2010 that
they would allow their poultry producers to source GM feed. Morrisons announced a similar change
in the spring of 2012. Sainsbury’s, Tesco, The
Cooperative and Marks and Spencer also changed
their policy in April 2013, leaving Waitrose as
the only major supermarket to maintain a non-GM
poultry meat and egg production policy. "

From the EU final report on GM traceability.

"GM food and feed must be approved by EU regulators and must be labelled, but meat and dairy products produced from animals fed on GM feed are not required to be labelled."

"Most British retailers do not sell other GM foods and if they stock them they must be labelled (this is also the case elsewhere in Europe). "

www.genewatch.org/sub-568547