I’ll take a look, any chance its biased?

Agreed

Spot on.

Our neighbours are big potato growers. I know that they have to spray their crops on a weekly basis this summer due to the weather we’ve had. They have to use a different type of spray each time they spray the same field. Now the genetically modified potato would reduce the amount of spraying required. This would have a positive impact on the environment (less pesticide) and would reduce costs for the farmer.

I think my main concern with this would be that we end up with a situation like that in the USA where corporations own the crop/seed. I’m thinking primarily about Monsanto and it’s monopoly on corn seed. That would not be a positive development.

The potatoes defence may become stronger but so then do the bacteria and other stuff that kill it and well prob end up with ‘super bugs’ that kill the potatoes and have to keep modifying and modifying!!!

I don’t know Anthony – there is plenty of evidence to the contrary – even Olivier de Schutter, the UN Special Rapporteur on the RIght to Food (whose responsibility it is to ensure people have access to food) has said that agro-ecological farming methods – ie low or zero chemial input farming – is the only way to sustainably feed the world’s population.The IASSTD report set up by the FAO and World BAnk in fact made similar findings. The argument that GM or even a continuation of conventional farming is necessary to feed the world just doesn’t stand up – it is a PR campaign by biotech and agroindustry, nothing more.

Another part of the problem is that biotech companies (and some farmers) think that “they” have to feed the world. The world is capable of feeding itself if the EU and US would stop dumping their cheap subsidized overproduction in other country’s markets. The globalization of agricultural trade has destroyed farms and farm livelihoods across the world and only provided profits for big big farms and plenty of middle men and agrochemical and seed companies.

Spot on, Fergal.

Scientifically?
Ohh great.
Pile up the Tates please.

Ok, it appears that you don’t understand the difference between generically engineering crops and genetically modifying them.

What we call wheat is actually a genetically engineered plant, a hybrid if you will. Two types of grass were cross pollinated to create a new, more hardy type of grain.
Interestingly enough, wheat is one of our most common food intolerances, as it’s one of the last things to be introduced to the food chain, alongside milk and dairy.

Genetically Modified crops are another thing altogether. For example, there’s GM strawberries with frog DNA in them. There’s GM potatoes with Spider DNA in them.. You will never manage to cross breed a frog with a strawberry, neither will you cross a spider with a potato – unless you mess around with the DNA in a lab.. It’s not food.

No safety data in terms of what happens to humans who consume GM products has been carried out. Our bodies react badly to hybrid crops like wheat – what on earth do you think the side effects of pretty much alien DNA in your food might be? Considering those making GM crops have no connection to any sort of nutrition research whatsoever, it doesn’t really figure highly on their list of priorities.. The people in the US (where Monsanto are lobbying to have “GM free” labels banned) and other countries that have permitted their use ARE the safety trial..

I’d really rather not take my chances, I appreciate how picky the human body is about its fuel. Pity these agritech companies don’t..

” You will never manage to cross breed a frog with a strawberry, neither will you cross a spider with a potato – unless you mess around with the DNA in a lab.. It’s not food.”

It is food. Nothing you said suggests otherwise. You just explains genetic modification then extended that arbitrarily to mean it’s not food. That’s not an argument.

“No safety data in terms of what happens to humans who consume GM products has been carried out.”

Yes there has, and all of them say its perfectly fine. What you mean to say is no safety data that agrees with your claims has been carried out.

“Our bodies react badly to hybrid crops like wheat.”

Wheat has existed for almost 12,000 years. No GM back then.

“.. what on earth do you think the side effects of pretty much alien DNA in your food might be?”

Two ways of looking at this. Firstly, everything you eat contains “alien DNA”. Cow DNA, pig DNA, carrot DNA. Ever eat two different foods? Then you’re getting two servings in alien DNA. Secondly all DNA, from bacteria to homo sapien, is identical. A,T,C and G in different orders, connected by the same pentose sugar. It’s all the same, no matter where it is.

“Considering those making GM crops have no connection to any sort of nutrition research whatsoever, it doesn’t really figure highly on their list of priorities.”

This doesn’t actually make any sense but none the less, here’s some “nutritional research” on GM crops from The American Society for Nutritional Sciences

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/133/5/1490S.long

“The people in the US… and other countries that have permitted their use ARE the safety trial.”

Read the article title again.

Finally, to quote http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12126808

” Using this approach in the evaluation of more than 50 GM crops which have been approved worldwide, the conclusion has been that foods and feeds derived from genetically modified crops are as safe and nutritious as those derived from traditional crops. The lack of any adverse effects resulting from the production and consumption of GM crops grown on more than 300 million cumulative acres over the last 5 years supports these safety conclusions.”

There’s hundreds of possible links so I just chose a review.

Where can I get those spuds….I’m changing my name to Peter Parker!!

And Bear Grylis eats all kinds of crap and he’s action man. Get me some of those Strawberries and I’ll be leaping around like Bear!!

Only about the money? What about the extra billion people we have to feed in the next 20 years? It’s a newish technology that might get our asses out of the fire. Test away lads, increase our knowledge and we’ll see if it’s a solution or a problem based on independent scientific analysis not people’s opinions.

Sadly, it’s not a solution. Thing about the blight is that it can evolve, and will evolve. All we are doing is pouring hundreds of thousands of euro down the drain and calling it “progress”.

Whist, now Bridie, sure they could be on to us in a second now.

The problem here is cross pollination, William. You can’t be sure if you’re eating the “original” ones that nature provides if they start growing GM food.

Seed potatoes are tubers from plants not actually seeds so cross pollination doesn’t occur. This years tubers become next years genetically identical potatoes.

C’mon D B, with all that money you’ve got stashed, couldn’t you ” bail ” us out now?.