Jimmy Doherty - GM Food Fight

[smallblueplanet]

GM will not necessarily mean less spraying, indeed some GM manipulation is done so more spraying of crops can be done...

GM food and crops | Greenpeace UK

New study shows gene crops may poison ladybird

[HeyWayne]

Another interesting point Jimmy made was the amount of media coverage and reports that lambast GM crops compared the the little amount available that is pro-GM.

A quick Google will no doubt highlight this.

[smallblueplanet]

....A quick Google will no doubt highlight this.

Not really, I just googled for a 'guide to GM' for links for Lynda and it was fairly even if not weighted towards pro...

[lynda66]

i was referring to the cotton crop in america ....... regarding the not having to spray, as that's the one comes to mind ....... ok so we don't eat it, but the success with that could be transferred to food crops...... but i'd rather all our crops could grow without pesticides ...... and if GM crops could make this happen, i'm all for as much research as necessary

to me it is like finding a gene in humans that gives children incurable diseases, if i new my son was going to die 6 months after birth, or be crippled, but they could stop that happening before conception ....... i'd have gone for it ........ or curing cancer ....... in my family, there is a genetic predisposition for getting cancer ....... i have always accepted that i will probably die of it, so maybe thats why i haven't the desire to give up smoking ...... but if i got a phone call tomorrow to say we can alter your genetics so you will not get cancer ....... i would give up smoking immediately and be first in the queue,

we all have different opinions, and ok there may be some bad points, but there seems to be a lot of positives too so i'm all for it, if it can make things better.

[smallblueplanet]

...we all have different opinions, and ok there may be some bad points, but there seems to be a lot of positives too...

What are the positives?

Where is your evidence about US GM cotton crops?

Here's some evidence for you

Cotton grown in China that has been genetically modified to produce the insecticide, Bt, had a wider impact on insect pests than the target crop, a discovery which is welcomed by the agriculture lobby and criticised by environmentalists...

GM cotton grown in China has wider impact on insects than intended crop - Telegraph

All you have done is talk about unproven potential of how the GM wonder crop are gonna save us from spraying...what about ...

Scientists yesterday sparked fresh concern about the effect of genetically modified crops on Britain's wildlife when they suggested the lifespan and fertility of ladybirds could be reduced dramatically by poisoning their food chain.
Government-funded research has indicated that altering the genetic make-up of plants to resist destructive aphids might have serious effects on other, natural pest-killers

from the link posted above

[HeyWayne]

It did make me wonder if when humans first started to cross-pollenate and modify plants if others saw it as dangerous - and I'm not being flippant.

[smallblueplanet]

I'd have thought so - I guess that we've been doing that since the end of the Mesolithic at least, but its not just that is it?

[Two_Sheds]

in my family, there is a genetic predisposition for getting cancer ....... i have always accepted that i will probably die of it, so maybe thats why i haven't the desire to give up smoking ...... but if i got a phone call tomorrow to say we can alter your genetics so you will not get cancer ....... i would give up smoking immediately

Lynda!
That's loony thinking. If you are more disposed to getting cancer, you shouldn't be actively increasing your chances of getting it, by smoking.

You could get knocked down by a bus, but you don't go out and lie in the road do you?

[HeyWayne]

I'd have thought so - I guess that we've been doing that since the end of the Mesolithic at least, but its not just that is it?

No, but then wild plants (that survived without our intervention) which have now been modified to suit our needs (for however long), are now dependant on human's to keep them alive/protect them against pests.

So have we created our own problem by meddling with nature all those years ago?

[smallblueplanet]

...So have we created our own problem by meddling with nature all those years ago?

That's not really what GM is about though...

We are told that GM crops will help feed the world's poor but according to the United Nations, we already produce more than enough food to satisfy everyone. And even though consumers have rejected GM foods outright, the biotech companies and the governments that support them are still trying to force their inventions on us, purely for commercial gain....

[HeyWayne]

That's not really what GM is about though...

You should watch the programme Manda.

[smallblueplanet]

You should watch the programme Manda.

Lol! You've told me all I need to know about the tv programme - you didn't answer the point above - from the UN no less!

[kirsty b]

Was this just a one off, or will it be a series?

If it has sparked a lively debate on here, chances are its being talked about elsewhere too.
Haven't watched prog yet, so keeping my head down for time being.

[HeyWayne]

Lol! You've told me all I need to know about the tv programme - you didn't answer the point above - from the UN no less!

I didn't answer the point because I can't.

[Capsid]

Lol! You've told me all I need to know about the tv programme - you didn't answer the point above - from the UN no less!

I'm not sure from your quote what the UN are saying. They could be just stating that there is enough food already. The bit about the commercial interest could be the newspaper's opinion. Do you have the original source?